Can’t see the forest for the trees!

Do you remember when you were a kid how the old guys around you had these sayings that didn’t seem to have any meaning? Then as you get older they start coming back and they start to seem pretty wise? One of those sayings for me is this: Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. At one time this saying made my top ten on the dumb saying list but I’ve had to remove it because I’ve found application for it! Have you ever went through or maybe are going through a really tough experience in life and thought to yourself, where is God and what is he doing? Doesn’t he see I need help right now? I’m getting old enough to be able to say that I’ve had a number of these times in my life. Often we can’t see what he’s doing in our life when we are in pain. “Can’t see the forest for the trees”. You can only see a forest standing at a distance. When your in it your too close and the trees are right there! That doesn’t mean it’s not there just because you can’t see it though! Romans 8:28 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to His purpose.
Notice that it says all things. Not just the good things but all things. Funny thing about our God. He doesn’t waste a single experience of our our lives. He can take the worst things you go through and make it a masterpiece for you and for his glory! Pain, anxiety, loss, money troubles, even our own sin can be used to help us grow and mature. I would even say it’s in the hardest things in our lives that he does the greatest work! For our good!! Just because we can’t see Him when we are standing in our pain doesn’t mean that He’s not there! He is! Because he is there we can say with confidence that we are more than conquers!! Thank you Lord for never leaving us in the forest of our hurts but instead, doing your greatest work!!

Be strong in the Lord today my friends!