IN TOUCH DAILY DEVOTIONAL 16 JULY 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, TUESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Seeing Adversity From God’s Viewpoint
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 55:8-9
When adversity hits you like a ton of bricks, it could easily cause discouragement. However, God’s purpose in the hardship is not to destroy you; His goal is to stimulate your spiritual growth. In His great wisdom, the Lord knows how to take a situation and use it to transform you into the image of Christ.
Every adversity that touches your life has been sifted through God’s permissive will. That doesn’t mean the difficulty itself is His perfect will, but He’s allowed the trial so He can use it to achieve His good purposes for you. While some of the suffering we see and experience may seem senseless and awful, we have a very limited perspective and can’t always understand what God is doing.
Our heavenly Father sees every aspect of life, but our view is restricted to what’s right before us. His plans include not only you but also all of His creation, and they reach from the beginning of time to eternity. Though we’ll never grasp the infinite mind of God, we can know His faithfulness and love.
When you can’t understand God’s ways, focus on the truth that He has perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power. Remember, the entire picture is clear to the One who loves you more than you can imagine. This is a time to walk by faith, as perfect understanding will come only in heaven.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Proverbs 29-31
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: While you can’t understand the infinite mind of God, you can draw close to experience His perfect love.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.