Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Sixteen years ago, I had just turned a church I had founded over to another pastor and was involved in a traveling ministry on the weekends. By the direction of the Lord I had started a paint and wallpaper business and it was doing very well. But inside, I was unfulfilled and disheartened. I wanted so much to be full time in the ministry the Lord had for me. It was a hot summer day, and I was removing old paint from some really old exterior wood. Why was I here? Why was I not ministering life to people? Why waste my time like this? A song by Steve Green came on the radio at that moment. He sang, He who began a good work in you, He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it, He’ll be faithful to complete it, He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you… I melted into a bucket of tears as the song described a person feeling forlorn and forsaken, consumed by the circumstances of life. In the midst of my feelings of being alone and God seemingly not caring, at that moment as the song played I knew that things would eventually work out for good in my life. And while I was disappointed at my present plight, I knew that the Lord was working something deep into my life and that I would come through this hard place shining! Now, years later, I can see how the Lord was changing me deep inside as I pushed through that hard place. You may feel today that nothing is working out like you thought it would in your life. You may feel that God is not fair, and that you don’t deserve to be in the place you’re in. Resist the thoughts and ignore the feelings. He is faithful. You will come through this ordeal, and you’ll be stronger in God, and you’ll be able to identify with those who are in the hard place.
When you commit your way to the Lord, He has a way of causing everything that occurs to work into a pattern for good in your life. Never give up and succumb to self-pity, doubt, and fear. Refuse to be ruled by oppressive thoughts of defeat and failure. Force yourself to praise God and give thanks. Remember that clouds only temporarily obscure the rays of the sun. Choose walk by faith and not by feelings! He will complete the good work He started in you!