Things don’t always go smoothly for us. We miss out on opportunities, we lose friendships, we take on bad habits, and our plans often fail. And because of human pride, all of this leads to a growing heap of discontentment. We don’t like to be told that we are not in control.
Let this be our comfort: all things always go smoothly for God. As the creator and governor of the universe, God orchestrates everything that happens at every moment of time. Even Satan cannot act without God’s permission. And God uses this immense power of providence for our good (Romans 8.28): to train us and make us more like Christ, to get us ready for life in His New Creation.
We see, then, that a Christian can never truly lose: His darkest moments are carefully ordained and used by God to train his character. Her most difficult trials are deployed and managed by God to bring her closer to Himself. Feelings may not immediately follow knowledge, but let us be sure that through every hardship, God is working His good in and through us.