"Might Have Been"

Can I tell you I’m so thankful,

For what God did not allow,

So many things that might have been,

Didn’t happen and somehow,

The providential grace of God,

Made them go away,

Some I knew and some did not,

But I’ve lived long enough to say,

When all of time is ended,

And we know as we are known,

It’s my belief that we will see,

God’s work, it will be shone.

The wreck that did not happen,

The times you were not sick,

The storm that went around you,

The route you did not pick.

And, yes, God works in all things,

For His glory and our good,

But giving thanks and everyday,

Is something that we should.

That pony could have bucked you off,

That steer you might have missed,

So many things, too much to count,

They make a real long list.

And one more thought I’ll mention,

And that’s unanswered prayer,

Or maybe God replaced His yes,

With a solid “no” right there.

In any case you did not get,

The thing you asked Him for,

But later on you realized,

He really gave you more,

Than what you thought you needed,

But supplied a different way,   

Because He knew you better,

And His best for you that day.

So thank God for His blessings,

And for what did not come true,

He’s the Alpha and Omega,

And knows just what to do.

“…these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.” (1 Peter 4:13, NLT)

How do our trials make us partners with Christ? Peter is pointing out that there is a price to pay for following Jesus, which may involve suffering. This is not what we hope and pray will happen, but when it does, God will use it to shape our character and bring us closer to Him. We identify more closely with Jesus, who suffered, and we understand more clearly two things: how much God is in control and how much we need to change. But ultimately God comes through and takes us where we need to be, even though along the way things don’t always work out the way we expect.

Lord, help us adjust to the changes You want to make in our lives, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Ken Steinnerd, kensteinnerd.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Ken, and God bless you.