Verse: Romans 8:28
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
Devotional Thoughts:
30 years ago, a massive fire broke out in Yellowstone National Park. Thousands of firefighters spent months trying to put the fire out. Over $120 million was spent toward that end. Finally, in September of 1988, the fire that had been ablaze since early in the summer was finally put out by an early snowfall. 793,000 of Yellowstone’s 2,221,800 acres had burned, or roughly 36% of the entire park.
Driving around Yellowstone a couple years ago, I could still see the scars of the fire damage from 1988. Large, burnt tree trunks overlook smaller tree growth and vegetation in some areas. Some areas have grown back faster than others. The elevation, combined with long, harsh winters, tends to make for a slow process of regrowth.
What’s amazing to me is that something as brutal as a massive fire could turn and provide a fertile soil for brand new growth that wouldn’t have been possible without it. The scars from the old are still there, but there is an abundance of new.
Points to Ponder:
In a similar way, God does the same type of thing in us. And that brings us to a wonderful truth – Everything in our lives can be redeemed and used by God. Even the bad things. And maybe even especially the bad things.
God has a way of taking bad things and bringing good from those things. He takes those things and uses them to fulfill His purposes. Like bringing new growth from a devastating fire.
There are multiple biblical stories I could point to, but I think this reality is seen most clearly in Jesus. Adam and Eve had brought sin into the world and were therefore subject to death. That’s devastating – a tragedy. But God Himself came and, through dying, defeats death, in order that we may have eternal life with Him.
Redemption. All things becoming new. Growth from the ashes. Good from the bad. This is what God is up to.
Where in your life do you see the Lord making things new?
Where in your life could you be praying for Him to work?
