Day 4: Sunshine and rain
But You, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to You; You are the helper of the fatherless (Psalm 10:14).
The purpose of God for His children is always good, always love. It could not be otherwise, for “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This does not mean that His plan for us never involves suffering. Ofttimes it does...
Godly people ofttimes have to endure bitter things, which are hard and most trying. Nevertheless, the plan of God for our lives is good. It is a plan of love. “What I am doing”—it is the Master who says this, and what He does must be good.
Is affliction good? Can it be good to endure bereavement, to suffer injustice, to bear pain? Someday we shall know that many of the best things in life are the fruit of these very bitter experiences. Our redemption comes from the sorrow and suffering of Jesus Christ. The best blessings and the holiest beauties of God’s saints are the harvest of pain.
The pleasant things are the easiest for us to accept—and these, too, are parts of Christ’s purpose. We must not think that His will always means hard things. Some people always say, “May Your will be done,” as if God’s will were something terrible. But we have a multitude of glad experiences in life; many days of bright blue skies. And the joyous things bring their blessings, too.
We must not get the impression that all the sacred things of Christian life come through pain, that we are enriched and made more like Christ only when we are suffering. We receive countless joys. The sunshine, too, is full of love and full of life.
But we must not forget that the things which are painful, also become parts of Christ’s chosen way for us, and His way is always for our good. “He makes His sun rise [sends His sunshine]… and sends His rain” (Matthew 5:45 – ESV). In all our life Christ is making us—making us godly, fashioning Christian character, transforming us into His beautiful image!
~ James R. Miller ~ Afterward You Will Understand, pub. 1909
A joyful song of praise we sing,
And thankfully we gather
To bless the love of God above,
Our everlasting Father.
Refrain:
In Him rejoice with heart and voice
Whose glory fadeth never,
Whose providence is our defense,
Who lives and loves forever.
From shades of night He calls the light,
And from the sod the flower;
From every cloud His blessings break
In sunshine or in shower.
Full in His sight His children stand,
By His strong arm defended,
And He whose wisdom guides the world,
Our footsteps hath attended.
For nothing falls unknown to Him,
Of care or joy or sorrow;
And He whose mercy ruled the past
Will be our stay tomorrow.
Then praise the Lord with one accord,
To His great name give glory;
And of His never-changing love
Repeat the wondrous story.
~ Ambrose N. Blatchford ~ 1876
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