All Things for Good

You know those days when everything seems to go wrong?

I’ve had many of them before, as I’m sure you have – days, weeks, sometimes even YEARS when seemingly nothing goes right – and this past week was one of them.

It started on Wednesday. Some unexpected expenses came up and then I lost a $50 bill I needed. I was in the car at the time and it was windy outside, so as best as I can figure, the money literally blew away. Even though there weren’t many places for it to hide, I searched every nook and cranny of my tiny purse, pockets, vehicle – you name it – and the bill was just plain gone.

I was so mad at myself for misplacing something so valuable and important. How could I let that happen? For that matter, how could God? I was being faithful! Didn’t that count for anything?

Like the mature adult that I am, I called my mom crying. 😉 She reminded me that God works all things for the good of those who love him, and she said what I was already thinking but didn’t want to admit: Someone else must’ve needed that $50 even more than I did. After a few minutes of sulking, I accepted that I wasn’t going to find the missing money and that somehow God would make up for it in the future. My mom told me she was praying that God would not only bless the person who found that $50 bill, but that he’d give me double what I had lost – double for my trouble, if you will.

“Actually,” she amended, “I’m going to pray for you to get even MORE than double!”

While that sounded fantastic to me and I truly believed God was capable, I just hoped he’d at least send me $50.

The next day, I started packing a backpack last-minute. Although I’d had a flight scheduled for months, the Midwest was in the middle of a crazy blizzard and I assumed there was no way my plane would still take off. I’d already canceled my obligations for the next few days and, even though everything was beyond my control, I was feeling guilty about not keeping my word. Then I received a call that my flight might still be on, so I was scrambling to get a carry-on ready, just in case.

After pulling my wallet out of my purse – the same little crossbody I’d been carrying the day before – to pack it, I slid my fingers through each small pocket in the purse to make sure there was nothing else inside. Honestly, I already knew there wasn’t and I could see there wasn’t; I just wanted to make sure.

I was shocked to find a $50 bill in the cell phone pocket!

I had checked that pocket countless times the day before. I can’t tell you how many times I peered inside, ran my fingers across every inch of fabric, and held it upside-down, vigorously shaking the bag to dump out any contents. Every single time, there was nothing there. I am positive.

Nobody else had touched my purse and I hadn’t left the house since losing the money. There is no other explanation for how that $50 bill miraculously appeared except that God himself put it there. I could hardly believe it! I was so grateful to have that $50 back, and even more grateful for how quickly he replaced it.

Then came Friday. My flight was originally scheduled to take off early that morning, but I ended up sitting in the airport for almost seven hours as delay after delay was announced. First because of the weather, then some kind of mechanical problem with the plane’s bathroom, and then because they found some even bigger mechanical issue and we had to wait for a second plane to arrive since ours was no longer safe to fly.

Again, I was frustrated. I certainly didn’t want to get on a plane that wasn’t safe, but why couldn’t they have just straight-up canceled the flight before we all came to the airport and wasted our time?

After several hours, we finally got to board our new plane. The attendant announced over the intercom that each of us would be receiving a $50 voucher for our trouble that day, as well as a free meal at any of the airport restaurants. They also provided free beverages during our entire wait (If you’ve flown Allegiant before, you know that isn’t normally the case! 😊).

Aww, that’s nice, I thought to myself. I didn’t really expect them to do that, but it was appreciated.

It wasn’t until later that weekend that I realized: that wasn’t just any voucher, it was a $50 voucher!

Just as my mom prayed, I got the $50 back I’d lost, plus ANOTHER $50 (That’s double!), and even more free stuff on top of it all!

God answered every prayer down to the exact detail. In the process, he also prevented a bank overdraft from happening (All because of the missing money, but that’s a whole other story!), and, I’m guessing, blessed somebody out there who discovered a much-needed $50 bill floating around outside.

My week? It was FULL of frustration. But it was also FULL of blessings…I just didn’t see them all until later.

And isn’t that the way it is with life? Sometimes we see our blessings immediately. Many times, we have to wait. And much of the time, we go through trials with no apparent good in them.

But in Romans 8:28, God promises that he works all things for the good of those who love him. Not just some things. Not just the occasional thing. But ALL things.

Whether we see the good right away or years down the line, it’s there. God works ALL things for our good!

If you’re struggling to see the good in any situation this week, have faith that God is working even that huge crisis or that hugely annoying frustration in your life for good. He is good and he works everything for good. Be encouraged this week!

So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.

Romans 8:28 TPT (emphasis mine)