What Good is Any Of It? (Part 2)

Scripture — Philippians 1:12‭-‬14‬‬

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Devotion

As we noted yesterday, when problems seem to spiral into feeling almost out of control, perhaps you are like most people, who have asked “What good is any of it?” How can a series of events be worthwhile to anyone? What good is pain, setback, struggle, and strife? Whether there is despair, uncertainty, success, or setback, Paul’s first clause affirms a strong reminder: there is always some good to come in every circumstance.

In itself Paul’s situation was not a good situation. There is nothing good about being confined to prison, nothing inherently great about the circumstances in themselves. It is disingenuous to gloss one’s circumstances as though we are Stoics; as though Jesus’ shed human blood and sweat were not real. As Jesus experienced trouble, so also did Paul, and we do also. But Paul does not distill the question to only asking “is this bad/good?” There is _at least _one other question that is relevant and that is “Does this circumstance have meaning? Can there be something more than just the pain of it?”

Whether there was a letter sent to Paul with questions, or Paul was simply thinking about how his situation affected those in Philippi, it is clear what Paul wanted them to know. It is what we need to become intimately clear about also: dire circumstances can actually bring about redemptive hope.

And that is the sum of all circumstances when observed through the lens of the Gospel—whether it is the formless void in creation, the death of everything in Noah’s day, the destruction of Jerusalem, or the death of the creator on a tree he created. Underpinning the broken is an enduring light in all those moments we gaze into looking for meaning. It is the truth of God’s involvement in the ordinary of our lives, telling us that the (insert all your real and dire circumstances here) is actually turning out to advance God’s redemption of the world. It may seem like our efforts are useless, but take heart—that is just not how the story is going to turn out.

Disillusionment can come in any situation. If the worst circumstances can be useful for God’s purpose then certainly he can use the bad circumstances and the mundane moments also. Disillusionment in our work or home is refined into hope when we become convinced that God is meaning and bestows meaning.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The Chorale and the Good Choreographer.

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