Sometimes
when I want to start a fire, the wind puts it out. But when I try to keep a
fire burning, wind keeps it going. So, in the first situation, I label wind
“bad” because it thwarts my plans; in the other, I label it “good” because it
helps me accomplish what I want to get done.
This
paradox illustrates how we judge things by the way they affect us. We declare
circumstances or people “bad” if they thwart our plans or cause us
inconvenience. We judge circumstances or people “good” if we agree with them
and they support our cause.
But God
is the One who determines what is good or bad, and He does so not by how it
affects our plans but by whether or not it accomplishes His. His plan is that
we would be “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.” And
His purpose for us is to “proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of
darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
To accomplish God’s good purpose, we are to respect all people, love other believers, fear God, and honor those who rule over us—even when something doesn’t seem good to us (v.17). These kinds of actions may fan a spark of belief in those who observe our responses to “bad” circumstances and most of all bring praise to God.
When things look bad, remember God is good. (RBC)
