
I walked about twenty yards into the Grand Canyon with my family. The silt on the trail quickly reminded us that we weren’t natural hikers. So although we didn’t journey far, I can tell you that I have been in the Grand Canyon. Our view from the trail included the typical desert decorations—rocks, dirt, underbrush, and more dirt. But if you’ve had the privilege of gazing at the canyon from the outlooks around the rim, and taken in more of its grandeur from that vantage point (or seen the pictures), you know that the canyon is anything but typical. Beautiful doesn’t do it justice. Just as God paints sunsets in the sky every evening, it looked like He was painting the colors on the canyon walls with the sun’s setting. The angle of the sun changed the colors of the canyon. It was exquisite, breathtaking, a handiwork of God. Like our lives.

If we could see our lives from God’s outlook, what would we see? We would see the hope, healing, and victory that’s possible – His good purposes woven into our lives. And not just for us, but for others too.
What beautiful things is God working out of our brokenness and suffering?
1. Amazing good (Romans 8:28; Psalm 34:10, 84:11, 119:68; Genesis 50:20)
2. Stronger character (Rom 5:3-4; James 1:2-4)
3. Braver faith (Mark 9:23-24)
4. More opportunities to bless people (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
5. A knowledge of God that we would not have otherwise (Ps 94:19, 116:7-8; Job 38:1-42:5--
what Job learned)
6. A certainty that God is enough (Ps 73:26, 9:10; 2 Timothy 4:16-17)
7. A testimony of God’s help and works (John 9:1-7, especially v.3)
If we saw our trials from God’s perspective, what resources would we see available to us?
1. Grace proportionate to our need and pain (2 Cor 12:9)
2. A peace that God will turn this into good (Philippians 4:7)
3. Strength to do our best each day (Phil 4:13)
4. Wisdom for how to move forward (James 1:5)
© Copyright 2014 by Katy Kauffman

You can check out Katy’s devotions and Bible study posts on her blog, Life with God, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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