Acts 16:31 – Verse of the Day 7/25/14

Have you ever experienced persecution for your faith? Are you ever tempted to doubt God when bad things happen to you? If so, this verse challenges us to remember that God uses all things – even sufferings and evil – for the good of those who love Him.

Just a few verses before this one, Paul and Silas were arrested for serving Jesus and performing a miracle. Yet what their oppressors intended for evil– having Paul and Silas arrested – God intended for good. That very night an earthquake shook the jail while Paul and Silas were singing hymns, shaking the doors of the jail open. Instead of seizing the opportunity to escape, Paul and Silas remained in their cells, and the jailor came to faith as a result of their witness.

We are frequently tempted to think that life’s difficulties lie outside the sovereign control of the God who loves us. Yet passages like this one teach us that God indeed works all things for the good of those who love Him. Pray that you would have the faith to endure hardship for the greater good that God has planned for you, and that you would have the patience and willingness to endure suffering in the meantime. Thank God for the promise that He will ultimately make all things right, whether in this life or the next.