To hear this Morning Devotion, please click Silver linings
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We Christians should be experts at looking for silver linings.
Every dark cloud that God allows to come over our lives — even those we bring on ourselves because of evaporating integrity — comes with the potential for a redemptive lesson.
Sometimes it is a lesson in divine mercy as in God’s last-minute rescue and restoration when we’re right on the edge of losing our minds because of guilt or grief… or both.
Sometimes it is a lesson in divine provision when we’re at the precipice of financial collapse, such as the blessing of an unexpected “check in the mail” or a job offer after extended, painful unemployment.
The life-changing lesson from God can even arise from the emotional fog of a tormented, twisted marital relationship when we stop dwelling on what we want from marriage and start dwelling on what our marriage needs from us.
A preacher friend of mine is to share a message this Sunday that will focus on the role of broken hearts in building one’s character and capability for serving God. I’m looking forward to the message. I’m a better person now because my heart has been broken and restored on a number of occasions.
I hope that you can say the same for your life.
Because God has shown me silver linings in the past, I know that silver linings await me in the future, no matter how many dark clouds are gathered over me in the present.
I share this today because of today’s reading in the One-Year Bible available on the sidebar in the right column. Acts 8:1 describes a terrible wave of persecution that came against Jerusalem Christians after the stoning death of Stephen. It was so bad that all the believers except for the apostles had to flee the city.
It wasn’t fair, of course. The Christians were loving others and sharing generously and acting like poster children for good citizenship, I’m sure. Yet, Satan hated their Lord, their faith, their souls and rounded up God-haters to oppress them out of the city.
Thousands lost their homes, their jobs, their unhindered friendships and countless hours of sleep.
Many lost their freedom when they were thrown into prison because of their faith.
It was a dirty deal, a major-league dark cloud.
But here is the silver lining.
And it’s a big one.
“But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went” (verse 4).
My goodness.
Lose stuff. Win souls.
Betcha Satan didn’t like how that turned out.
Listen, broken dreams and broken hearts due to broken plans or broken promises aren’t going to make us happy. But with faith and an understanding of God’s Word, they can help us to become stronger and more engaged in sharing the faith that saves and sustains us.
Don’t shake your fist at the dark cloud, my friend. Instead, reach up in prayer toward God through that dark cloud and — at the right time — God will place into your hands an opportunity to do something special for His Kingdom.
And He just might put an earthly blessing into your hands along the way.
As always, I love you
Martin
