We know.
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Have you ever entered a new season with high hopes only to run into unexpected trouble? You expected to win but lost instead. You anticipated great health but got sick.
You believed for fantastic opportunities but saw doors close. You needed increase but experienced lack. You looked for favor but felt forsaken.
It’s tough when your expectations are not met. But God is sending this word to remind you that negative outcomes do not override His promises.
Because we know that He will work things out for our good in the end, we can stand fast and be encouraged by what we know despite what we see.
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Sunday, my hometown team, the Buffalo Bills, lost their football game and it was a bummer. At the beginning of the new season during the first two games, they dominated. Our team was absolutely killing it on the field. Every member of our family, except the youngest, Kaleb, who doesn’t care one lick about football, was screaming with joy.
We get extra loud when we watch football, by the way. We trash talk. Yell at the TV. High five and jump up and down when we score. We also sulk the next day when we lose. Yes, we are that family. If you don’t like noise, you don’t want to watch sports with us.
And man, we were really hoping for victory Sunday, but things unraveled.
How, though?
Injuries. Loads of injuries.
Ugh!
So many key players were hurt which meant we had to use backups to do the work of starters. With a bunch of guys out, though we did our best, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Miami Dolphins, our division rivals. We know we have a great team; they’ve just hit a rough patch and will bounce back. Go, Bills!
Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins, Sunday, September 25, 2022. (Credit: NFL)
Whether playing sports or just living life, sometimes things won’t pan out the way you want them to. So, it’s a good thing that God is not surprised or limited by trouble. Amen?
In fact, He uses the worst situations to accomplish His will.
In Acts 1, after Jesus rose from the dead and before He ascended back to Heaven, He prophesied: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v. 8).
That was a good and exciting word, wasn’t it? But guess what? The prophecy was fulfilled through negative circumstances.
Acts 8:2-8 reveals that the church in Jerusalem, which Jesus said would expand, entered a chaotic and painful season of persecution. Everyone except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Families were ripped apart, as men and women were hauled off to prison for their faith in Christ. Times were exceedingly difficult.
Even so, the word Jesus spoke came to pass. The persecution, as tough as it was, expedited the manifestation of God’s plan. Those who had been scattered in Judea and Samaria, just like the Lord said, preached the gospel wherever they went (v.4).
Every effort the enemy made to decrease the impact of the gospel backfired. Each attempt at elimination resulted in expansion. Look at God fulfilling the promise of Romans 8:28 that says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Allow me to zone in on two words in that verse: “we know.”
In hard times, what we feel is different from what we know, right? We may feel defeated, but we know we have the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). We may feel powerless, but we know that the power which raised Jesus from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11).
We may feel forsaken, but we know the Lord is always with us (Matthew 28:20). We may feel foolish for believing despite the odds, but we know that anyone who puts their hope in God will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11).
“Friend, we know that God is ever faithful to keep His promises. So, despite not being able to see the way, we know that He is the way and the way-maker!”
In tumultuous seasons, we must stand on what we know. There may be a few bumps in the road. Things might not look so great for a while. And as expected, your feelings will fluctuate, but God’s word never changes. He always has been and forever will be faithful to keep His promises.
Sure, the process of reaping blessings may be fraught with challenges. That’s alright. You can be confident that when God makes you a promise, even when stuff gets crazy, what He said must happen.
In yesterday’s devotion I told you, even if the manifestation of your breakthrough is slow coming, it will surely come!
So, if you find yourself in a chaotic season today where one negative thing after another keeps popping up, keep your head up. God’s word will not go unfulfilled.
I know things might be in shambles, but we know that God specializes in flipping things in our favor. He will give you “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair,” according to Isaiah 61:3 NIV— which is the sweetener I’m stirring into your cup of inspiration.
As you drink down the contents of your cup, don’t get tripped up by what you see, but stand on what you know. Jesus said in John 10:14, “I know My own and My own know Me.”
We know He is a deliverer. We know He is a way-maker. Heart-fixer. Mind-regulator. Bridge over troubled water. Hope for the hopeless. Miracle-worker. Mighty in Battle. Savior. Lord of the breakthrough.
And when it comes to your breakthrough, you may not know details like what, how, when, or where. But you know the Who—the Almighty God who promises to complete the good work He started in you (Philippians 1:6). Don’t ever let trouble make you forget what you know.
Pray this prayer.
God, thank You for reminding me that what I know is greater than what I see. Circumstances don’t look good all the time, but I will yet hold fast to what You promised me. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:24, You, the One who has called me, is faithful and will do what You said. I believe Your word and receive it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
