LIFE IS HARD, BUT GOD IS GOOD

Saturday, February 17, 2007

The psalmist said it (Psalm 107:1) long before I did—“…God is good.”

Joni Eareckson Tada has suffered a lot but through it all she still proclaims that God is good.

THERE ARE GOOD REASONS WHY WE SUFFER.

All things fit together into a pattern for our good and God’s glory.
Hardships force us to make decisions about God.
Suffering gives us character.
Suffering makes us more sensitive to people who are hurting.

BUT GOOD REASONS DON’T ALWAYS MEET OUR NEED.
Sometimes the pain seems to outweigh even the best of benefits.
Through the experiences of life we are reminded that God is good and has good reasons for what he does.

SUFFERING HEARTS NEED A PERSON, NOT AN ANSWER.
When we are suffering, we plead for our Father’s assurance that everything will be okay.
God gives us something better than a list of answers; he gives us himself.

SUFFERING COMES TO COMPEL US TOWARD GOD.
God allows us to suffer so that nothing will come between him and us.
You can endure almost anything if you know God is right next to you.

(Taken from a message given by Joni Eareckson Tada)