God Will Turn You Every Which Way but Loose

Your God, in his providence, will turn you every which way but loose. Do not believe the lies that say God wants your life to be as smooth as possible. That he desires for you to have a problem-free existence if only you would have enough faith. To expose those lies, let us look at the life of one of the most faith-filled men of scripture.

The apostle Paul was not a man of little faith, and yet, here are a few things he endured. Imprisonments; countless beatings; often near death; whipped 39 times on five different occasions; beaten with rods three times; stoned once; shipwrecked three times; faced numerous dangers, toils and hardships, and many nights without sleep along with daily pressure and anxiety for the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23-29).

These things did not happen to Paul because his faith was weak. They happened because his faith was strong. These trials were not merely the plans of evil men; they were also God’s plan for Paul’s life. He was weak, yet God revealed many spiritual truths to him in his frailty. Then, because God revealed these truths to him, God gave him a thorn in the flesh; a messenger of Satan to buffet him and keep him from becoming conceited because of the greatness of the revelations (2 Corinthians 12:1-7).

Paul prayed with faith that God would remove this thorn, but his loving Father would not. Instead, God used that weakness in Paul to show the world his strength. Too many of us want lives of wealth and leisure because we believe that is the highest aim. We think that is where we will find our greatest pleasure, but God is not concerned about giving us lives of ease, and that is good news.

That is good news because God wants what is best for us, and if a life of personal peace and affluence is not his aim, then he has something even better in store for us. Something more marvelous than what the world is chasing.

Take heart, storm-tossed Christian. You may not always have what the world desires, but you have Jesus, and he will turn you every which way but loose. Of those who are his, he will not lose one. In the midst of all this, his grace is sufficient for you, and his power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Get ready to see him glorified and be prepared to enjoy him forever.

-D. Eaton