In every bad experience

Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. — 2 Kings 5:15

When I rear-ended a truck with my nearly new car, positive thoughts did not immediately come to mind. I was thinking primarily of the cost, the inconvenience, and the injury to my ego. But I did find some hope in this thought, which I often share with other writers: “In every bad experience, there’s a good illustration.”

Finding the good can be a challenge, but Scripture confirms that God uses bad circumstances for good purposes.

In 2 Kings 5, we find two people who had bad things happen to them. First is a young girl from Israel who was taken captive by the Syrian army. Second is Naaman, the commander of the army, who had leprosy. Even though the girl had good reason to desire bad things for her captors, she offered help instead. Israel’s prophet Elisha, she said, could heal Naaman. Eager to be cured, Naaman went to Israel. However, he was reluctant to follow Elisha’s humiliating directions. When he finally did, he was healed, which caused him to proclaim that Israel’s God is the only God (v. 15).

God used two bad things — a kidnapping and a deadly disease — to change Israel’s enemy into a friend. Even when we don’t know why something bad happened, we know that God has the power to use it for good. — Julie Ackerman Link

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bad may have a bitter taste

But sweet will be the flower. — Cowper

READ: 2 Kings 5:1-15

God is the master of turning burdens into blessings.

The Bible in one year:

• 2 Kings 4-6

• Luke 24:36-53