Imagine you had a friend who broke their arm in a car accident. Naturally, you would feel sorry for them, not wanting anyone to go through such an experience.
But what if you discovered that your friend had been awarded 10 million dollars for the damages? Would you still feel as sorry for them? Likely not. You may even envy them, wishing it was you.
While that was an exaggerated example, it does reveal a truth; our perspective of an event can be different depending on how we look at it.
In Acts 5, we see an example of this.
When persecution began in the early church, the apostles found themselves being flogged by the religious leaders.
What was their response? Verse 41 says, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (NIV).
Rather than view their flogging from an earthly perspective, they saw it from a kingdom one.
When persecuted, Jesus had taught them to “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12 NIV).
As believers, no matter what bad thing we experience in life, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).
Therefore, even when we don’t know how our circumstances can lead to good, we can have peace looking at it biblically.
So, when you find yourself having a bad experience, remember it’s how you look at it.
The Wise Believer trusts things will work out for the good even when they can’t see it.
