But God . . .

by David Gibson

When troubles mount, as they often do, we need the assurance these passages offer us:

• “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions . . .” (Acts 7:9-10).
• “And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead . . .” (Acts 13:29-30).
• “ . . . we all once lived in the passions of our flesh . . . But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ . . .” (Ephesians 2:3-5).
• “At my first defense," Paul wrote, "no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me . . . but the Lord stood by me and strengthened me . . .” (II Timothy 4:16-17).

God is the great reverser of bad situations. Joseph was cruelly treated, but God was with him. Jesus was dead, but God raised him. We were dead in our sins, but God has given us new life in Christ. On one occasion, Paul’s fellow Christians failed him, but the Lord was with him. Is He any less with us today?

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).