The Lord works out everything to its proper end—even the
wicked for a day of disaster.
Proverbs 16:4
This ends this reading from God's holy word.
Thanks be to God.
A lot of people are going through tough times today. This truth bears
out in the number of prayer requests I have.
People are trying to endure tough economic times, either trying to make
ends meet with the job they have or struggling because they aren’t currently
working. The prospects for both seem dire as the economy seems to be flat-lined
and the job pool is extremely shallow if not dried up in many areas.
These economic problems are placing strain on relationships resulting in
varying degrees of brokenness. Either couples are in a constant state of dispute
which too often leads to abusiveness or they just agree to end their relationship
all together, leaving fractured lives and hearts scattered throughout society,
a number that includes many children who are left caught in the middle.
Others are struggling with a multitude of health issues, some minor,
some life threatening. The illnesses and diseases people are afflicted with are
as varied as the treatment regimens people face after being diagnosed. They
range from a short full recovery to having to be on medication for the rest of
their life to keep their affliction under control to surgery or possibly
radiation or chemotherapy or transplant or amputation or a combination of these
in order to give someone a chance to continue living.
Still others grapple with the matter of death, whether facing down their
own mortality or grieving the loss of a loved one or friend. We all know death
is something that is inevitable in life but when it happens, we all have our
difficulties in dealing with the finality of it all.
This is obviously not an all inclusive list of issues people are dealing
with today but I feel it captures the fact that so many are dealing with so
much.
So where can we find some form of encouragement in the midst of our
circumstances? Is there any good news?
Fortunately, there is and it comes as it always does from the word of
the Lord. Here’s is just one verse which I will frame my point around:
The Lord works out everything
to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster. Proverbs 16:4
Here is the good news for all of us today and every day.
The Lord is working things out. Believe it.
The Lord has always worked things out for those who place their faith
and trust in Him. And He always will. I can say that because His word is truth
and His word says that He works everything out to its proper end.
But do people today really believe this in their hearts? Do they really
trust that the Lord is working things out in their lives, especially in the
midst of situations where there seems to be no way out of difficulty?
It can be hard, right?
You see, our human nature gets in the way of allowing us to fully accept
and buy into the fact that the Lord is at work in our tough times. We expect
Him to work immediately and give us instant relief from what is ailing us and
when that fails to happen, we allow our faith to wane and sometimes even leave
us.
We hear the word of Lord telling us that the Lord is working things out
but deep inside we want a sign that this is happening. We want some evidence so
we can believe like the doubting disciple Thomas who failed to trust that he
was communicating and communing with a resurrected Savior. Unless Thomas could
touch the places where Jesus was nailed to the cross, he would not believe that
Jesus was really with him (John 20:24-28). I feel Jesus, through God’s word,
says the same thing to those who refuse to believe Him today that he said to
Thomas more than 2,000 years ago:
“Because you have seen me, you
have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:29
Indeed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Those who
trust that the Lord is working things out to their proper end and fulfilling
this other promise we find in Paul’s letter to the Romans:
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose. Romans 8:28
Our Lord God is always working things out to their proper end but He is
also working things out for the good of those who love Him. Believe and trust
in the Lord, love Him with all your heart and mind and soul and strength, and
He will work things for your good. That’s good news for us today from His word,
even in the midst of the most trying times.
Do you believe it?
There’s one other major point I want to make before I close this
devotion today.
For there may be one question you might be asking yourself from this
proverb which serves as the foundation of today’s message:
So Mark, define a “proper end” for me. What does that mean exactly?
You see, the question needs to be asked because the answer frames the
stumbling block that gets in the way of most people believing that the Lord is
working things out.
The only right answer to the question is that the proper end is
determined by the Lord and the Lord alone. We may have our own ideas of what
the proper end should be to our circumstances but that’s not what matters. What
counts is how the Lord wants it all to end and this has two application points.
The first is in dealing with our life matters. We are in the midst of a
given situation and the Lord has a proper end in mind. That ending might be
happy; it might be bad. It depends on the Lord and what he sees the end as
needing to be in order to be proper. If you believe and trust in Him, He is
working things for your good. If you are not a believer, He may work out things
in a different direction, a direction where He is trying to get your attention
and draw you to Him. That may be the by-product of a proper end that in your
eyes is improper.
No matter what the outcomes of our situations, we should be sizing them
up in regard to the Lord always working things out to their proper end. In the
final translation, we get what we deserve from the One who doles out perfect
justice and judgment.
The second application point deals with our life’s end and as stated, we
all will deal with the matter of death in life. So what is the proper end for
us then?
For those who placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior,
their proper end will not be an end at all but rather a glorious beginning of a
life eternal with their Savior and the God who sent Him. For those who don’t
believe, those who are counted among the wicked because they rejected Jesus and
His offer of everlasting life, their proper end will disastrous and they will
find life over at death with a fiery trip into the pit of fire awaiting them.
There is no middle ground here friends. The bottom line is that we all
have a choice as to what our proper ends can be. Not that we can dictate what
ends come in our life’s circumstances because only the Lord knows what is truly
good for us and He will work out things to that end. But at least we can have
faith and hope that He is working things for our good and not for our detriment
as is the case for those who choose to love the world and its sinfulness more
than Him and His righteousness.
This is the proper end for this writing today and I can only pray that
it works for the good of all those who read it. Know I will continue to pray
over all of you, trusting in the Lord who holds your life and all its
circumstances in His hands. Blessings to you always.
Amen.
PS: If you have a testimony about how the Lord is working things out (or
has worked things out for your good), won’t you share it today and leave a
comment? Your words may just be a blessing to another.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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