“But we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8.28)
When I was in grade school, I learned about a city in the south which built a statue to the Boll Weevil. In case you don’t know, the boll weevil is an insect which devours cotton. It seems this city depended on the cotton crop each year for it’s livelihood. One year a boll weevil infestation wiped out the crop. This disaster stunned the farmers and the city. The next year they planted different crops. These crops did very well. They developed other industries. Eventually, the cotton crop revived, but by now the city had several lucrative enterprises going which they would have never had if it hadn’t been for a boll weevil infestation. So, the “grateful” citizens built a statue to the boll weevil.
One of the advantages of growing older is that I can look back over my own life and build statues to those boll weevils which created the good things that I have in my life today. I’m sure you can do this as well. God’s word is true. He will make all things work together for our good. Of course, like most Biblical promises there are two conditions. First, we must love God. One of the reasons, I think we fail to see the power of God in so called negative situations has to do with the fact that our love for God has grown cold. We have grown away from Him and thus we fail to recognize his hand in the situation. We sometimes even reject his work in our lives.
The second condition is being called according to his purpose. We must hear the call of God. But more than that we must follow that call. Sometimes, what could have turned out for our good does not. This isn’t because God failed, but because we failed to follow his call. God doesn’t always call us out of, above or around trouble. Sometimes he calls us into trouble. Remember, the Hebrew children met Jesus in the fiery furnace. Daniel saw the angel in the lions den. David had to face the Giant to see the deliverance. The Children of Israel had to be hemmed in by Pharaohs army on one side and the Red Sea on the other, before God opened the waters. If we run away from the call of God when we see the battle, we are also running away from the call of God to victory.
Are you running after the call of God or running from it? Sometimes we have to build a statue to our boll weevils to see the prosperity of God.
Lord, let me see within every trouble you allow, an opportunity for victory. Help me to remember to praise you in the fire, as well as after I’ve been delivered from the fire! Amen
Terri Main
Answers2Prayer Subscriber http://www.evangelpraisecenter.org