For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
I've always been impressed when I hear of a person who can make the best out of a bad situation.
The newspapers once told of a holdup man who tried to rob a Detroit store. The thief dropped his weapon and ran when he realized the cashier had set off the alarm.
It didn't take long before the store was swarming with uniformed police officers. It was swarming with more than one hundred police. Observing all the men in blue, the store manager quickly picked up the public address microphone and announced: "We now have a special sale in progress for police officers only!"
That manager ought to get a raise for making the best out of a bad situation.
Not many of us have that ability.
When bad moments arise in our lives, we can easily become bitter, frustrated, and angry. Some folks feel God has it in for them and is getting satisfaction from watching them suffer.
That is hardly the way our loving God works. He not only wants good for us; He also promises, because of His crucified and ever-living Son, to help us when bad times arise. With Jesus by our side and the Holy Spirit working in our hearts we can be given the ability to see things differently and make the best out of bad situations.
That's the gift God gives us today--the faith to lean upon Him so He can make the best out of every situation.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, Paul knew full well the power of Your presence. Relying on You, he endured ill health, being shipwrecked, imprisonment, beatings, hunger, loneliness, and still could say, Your love was always there. When life is tough, grant us the confidence to trust You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was originally published March 16, 2008.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 2-5 John 1:1-28
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"