A woman rescued from sex trafficking starts an organization that impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of women and girls across the globe.
A man delivered from pornography addiction creates an accountability program that has helped 1.7 million people experience victory over porn.
A man finds God’s forgiveness and grace in prison after a life of violent crime and drug abuse. After being released, he starts a ministry focused on providing a haven for troubled children who, like him, lack a stable home and community environment.
There would not be enough space in this article to list all the organizations and individuals I have met through my podcast who make this world a better place because they choose to find purpose in their pain. The podcast is called “God-Sized Stories,” for good reason.
A Bible verse crossed my mind while scanning past episodes before launching season 4 last week. The words are found in the apostle Paul’s letter to believers in Rome:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.”
There hardly is a more quoted verse in the Bible than Romans 8:28. We find it on bumper stickers, art, countless sermons, books, and at the tip of every believer’s tongue.
The verse rests at the end of one of the most poignant chapters in the New Testament. Written from Corinth to believers in a city the apostle had not visited yet, the letter to the Romans presents the most precise and systematic presentation of Christian doctrine in Scriptures.
The verse’s popularity contrasts against all human reasoning and emotions when we face life’s darkest valleys, for it is merely impossible to grasp God’s goodness toward us when one loses his freedom, or when the tentacles of addiction firmly clasp our hearts. Or when one loses a loved one in a senseless accident.
“How, oh Lord, how can this possibly work together for my good and your glory?” we cry out.
The truth is, we can only genuinely grasp Romans 8:28 when we choose to get up from what knocked us down and continue walking despite bloody legs and a bruised spirit.
Indeed, one will never comprehend the veracity of Romans 8:28 if they quit. This verse calls for endurance — the most challenging requirement of faith when it is tested beyond all reasoning, emotion and strength.
The problem is when we refuse to look up from our broken places, and instead allow our pain to consume our thoughts and spirit.
I write from a well-known place. I know the depth of despair. I understand the weight of depression when it sets in our hearts after losing someone we love, or when unspeakable betrayal takes place. I am not a stranger to a cancer diagnosis or when a stronghold tempts you so deeply that it consumes your every thought.
And yet — I know the truth and power behind those words. Every. Thing. I’ve ever faced, as I look in the rearview mirror, has worked together for my good and God’s glory.
Because I chose to get up from every pit and keep walking despite the pain that consumed me, as my podcast guests and so many of you, I have experienced the depth of God’s comfort and grace. And because we endured, holding the Father’s hand with every aching breath, he turned our testing into a testimony... and our misery into a ministry.
When we choose to trust in the sufficiency of God’s grace, even when we cannot see the way forward, we gain the power to offer the same comfort we have received to others walking the same road.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” The apostle Paul - second letter to the Corinthian church, chapter 1.
To learn more about the ministries mentioned at the beginning of this article, visit sheissafe.org, covenanteyes.com, and theriverrefuge.org
Patricia Holbrook is a columnist, author, podcaster and international speaker. Visit her new website: www.PatriciaHolbrook.com. Watch her podcast on YouTube: God-sized Stories with Patricia Holbrook. For speaking engagements and comments, email patricia@PatriciaHolbrook.com.
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