No Accidents With God

Philippians 1:12

“Now I want you to know, brethren that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel…”

I’ve marked in the margin of my Bible beside this verse Romans 8:28 “and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

The first place in the Bible this concept is mentioned is in Genesis 50:20 when Joseph is addressing his brothers late in his life. There he says “and as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Joseph was speaking of his brothers selling him into slavery when he was a young man. We know that God protected and matured Joseph so that one day he would be in a place to rescue his family and provide for them.

Paul really believed in the sovereignty and providence of God and in Philippians 1:12 expresses the thought that his time in jail was a part of God’s plan to cause the spread of the Gospel. Other believers who have witnessed Paul’s attitude toward his circumstances have developed the courage to share the Gospel.

Really believing that God uses every circumstance or difficulty we encounter for good allows us to have a different perspective as we walk through tough times. Those are often times when we are tremendous testimonies to others. As we endure trials with an attitude that honors God, others see the Christian faith at work in our lives. That is the positive manifestation of the cliché “your actions speak louder than your words”.

It is God’s design that we don’t know what the future holds. However, we can be confident in Him who has planned our future and we can face each situation with the assurance that God is walking through it with us and if we yield to His will all things will work together for good.