Fearlessly CourageousDesk of Dennis Piller2 10 2023Click for Audio
Every Shadow Has a Gift
Every one of us has had our disappointments, failures, and missed opportunities. But when we reflect, using the right filter…God’s filter…I can look back and see how far I’ve come through prayer and connecting to God. What I learned was significant in leaning forward and creating a better future for myself and others.Do you believe things happen for a reason? Is there a higher plan that works behind our mistakes and errors that god will use for his and our greater good? “And 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 When we look at our disappointments, failures, and missed opportunities, we often forget to look through the filter of God’s love, forgiveness, and grace. We may not understand why certain things have happened, but we must trust that God works all things together for good. Even in our darkest moments, every shadow has a Gift. (I know it’s hard to even look for that when your hurting.) But his word is explicit, God has a plan and a purpose for our lives. Jer. 29:11 If he doesn’t, he is a liar and a fraud OR he is our sovereign God. We must read his word to see and hear this in our inner man! God is never absent in our suffering; He is present with us in them and will walk with us through them if we will just reach up.
God uses our disappointments, and failures, to refine us, shape us, and draw us closer to Him. He uses them to teach us about ourselves, about the world, and about His love. He uses them to test us and to build our character. He uses them to prepare us for the next step in our journey. Look at what he says in Jeremiah 18: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him”. I pray you are listening. He is talking about you and me! When we look through the filter of God’s love, we can begin to see these setbacks as gifts. It may take a while…but you will. They are opportunities to grow in faith and trust as we learn to lean on God and rely on His love and strength.
The Bible is full of examples of how God can take what may seem like a negative situation and turn it into something positive. You know that. He can take something bad and turn it into something good!.. in his time. Read about Job. You can’t get any lower than he, but he would not curse his God even against the wishes of well-meaning friends. After Job protested his innocence to man and God. God spoke to Job in a storm. Instead of answering his question, God asked Job if he understood the workings of the complex universe as He does?Humbled, Job saw that he did not possess a wide enough perspective to judge God. He then accepted that trusting God through it all was enough. Every Shadow has a gift. We can lose it by not looking for it…Better said, seeking God…leaning on God…believing he has you! We can trust in God’s wisdom even when we do not understand. Hearing about Job, Moses, Paul, and so many others caused me to realize that even though we may never understand why bad things happen, trusting in God helps us to move forward in the best way possible. But only if we remember to turn to God for that help and understanding, and peace. When's was the last time you stayed awhile at the Potter's House?
