God Refuses to Waste Anything
Kari Voliva

Scripture: Romans 5: 1-11
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Devotional:
When I’m going through hard times, the last thing I want to hear is a string of platitudes … “there is a bigger purpose”, “everything happens for a reason”, or “this will make you stronger.”

It’s kind of like when I bring a problem to my husband and he gives me a great solution. I don’t always want a solution or to see the bigger picture. Sometimes, I just want to be mad and to have everyone around me agree with me. The fact that I may be emotional or simply wrong is a minor detail for another time.

Maybe that’s why Romans 5 can feel so frustrating at first. Paul does not simply acknowledge suffering. He reframes it as a positive. 

And yet, when I read this scripture, I can reflect on so many examples where my own suffering did result in perseverance, character and hope.

The relationships of my twenties prepared me to be grateful for my husband in my thirties.

Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in my first pregnancy made me a more intentional mother.

Struggling to give up alcohol was the ultimate example of perseverance turning into hope.

Being laid off after twenty years forced me to slow down enough to prioritize what really matters in my life.

I’d like to say that I went through all of these things with a faithful heart knowing that God was looking out for me through it all. The reality is that I did not learn to connect with God as deeply, wholeheartedly, and genuinely as I do now until recently. Through each of these struggles, I focused on what I could control.

And yet … God was there through all of those challenges even when I was ignoring him. Just like Christ died for us when we were powerless and full of sin, God was holding me through everything. 

As a parent, I can only imagine what it felt like for Him to watch me suffer. There is a certain desperation in watching your child struggle but refuse help. Oh, but the joy when they come around is beyond measure. Especially when you know they will come out stronger.

As I reflect back now on the challenges I’ve faced, I can see how God formed something in me through each of them. Not because the suffering was good. Not because God caused it. But because God refuses to waste anything - including suffering I brought on myself. 

You could not have told me that while I was going through it. I wasn’t ready to see the bigger picture. But God never forgot it. Even when I was just focused on survival and control, He was steady, faithful and present. He was patiently pursuing me until I was ready.

Romans 5 reminds us that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

My suffering was not His purpose. But God, in His mercy, used it to refine me, restore me, and draw me back into the life He created for me. He refuses to waste anything. 

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank you for pursuing us relentlessly through times of joy and suffering. Continue to hold us close even when we cannot see what you are doing. Let our hearts and minds rest in the knowledge that you will not waste a single part of our story. Amen