The God of New Beginnings

Yesterday I had the privilege and joy of talking with a wonderful friend in ministry. We talked at length about what God is doing in his life and the blessings he has received in ministry.

Before long, I was overwhelmed at how God had blessed him. I felt that way because I remember when he experienced some of the normal hardships of life. He had gone through the valley and now he is seeing joy and blessings as he climbs the mountain.

I don’t know how many times I have talked with men who felt that their dream had been taken away. With kindness and sensitivity, I often say, “Sometimes when it seems your dream has been lost, God gives you something better than you dreamed.“

That was certainly the case with my friend.

God is the God of new beginnings. He takes everything that happens to us and works for our good. That, of course, does not mean that everything that happens to us is good. It certainly isn’t.

When we are open to Him and ready to do His will, God is hard at work bringing good out of our difficulties.

God certainly makes all things new. We can count on him, knowing that He loves and cares for us and will be there with us all along the way.

Last Sunday I preached from Acts 21, a passage showing the journey of Paul to Jerusalem on his third missionary journey. All along the way he was warned about what would happen to him in Jerusalem. Those warnings were correct. He was arrested and placed in prison. He was imprisoned in Caesarea two years before being taken to Rome. I’ve often thought that Paul either received or confirmed the teaching about God working all things together for good during this time. Paul saw God at work opening doors and showing the way.

Paul said, “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout  the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (Philippians 1:12-14).

While everything is not good, and certainly not easy, God is the God who works on our behalf making all things new.

Share this post

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email

2 Responses

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *