Romans 8:28-29
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
If you have any idea about chemistry, you might know that an element named Sodium (Na) in itself is dangerous, similarly the element named Chlorine (NaCl) also is chemically dangerous if used alone but when these two elements are combined together in a specific ratio, it forms a new substance called Sodium Chloride (NaCl) which is nothing but the table salt that we use in our daily lives. This chemical reaction makes two elements that are dangerous in itself into something that is very useful to everybody in their everyday lives to such an extent that none of us can never imagine our lives without salt or Sodium Chloride (NaCl).
God did something very similar to this life-giving chemical reaction in my own life. To understand that, I would like to share a small incident that happened in the history of the Israelites from the Bible as written in the book of Exodus 15:22-25 as follows;
“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they travelled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.”
The greatest chemical reaction of my life is that the tree that turned the bitter water into sweet water for the Israelites is like the cross on which Jesus died that turned all my bitterness into a very sweet experience.
I met Jesus as my forever friend at the age of 14 but I always wondered why God delayed in meeting me for which God always reminded that His timing for me and my life is always perfect. But before I met Jesus, something heart breaking happened in my life. I had a group of friends who schemed against me and put all the blame on me for something I had never done. Things became so worse that my parents were called by the Principal sister to the school office. When my parents met the Principal, she made very rude statements like is this what you and your church is teaching me. That statement pointing fingers at my parents and their upbringing, broke my heart and changed my life completely. I decided to change the course of my life and never give any opportunity to anybody to say anything that will dishonour my parents. Few years later the same Principal sister who said I am a shame said I was the best in the school, on the day of my farewell. Not only that, one day she came specially to meet me in the hostel where I was staying for my higher studies and hugged me. That’s how God changed my every bitter sorrow into sweetest joy.
It cost God everything to do this for me. God sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to this earth who died a cruel death on the cross for all our sins in our place so that we can receive forgiveness and attain eternal life in heaven with Him. God has done everything for us to turn all our bitter experiences into something very sweet.
Call onto this God who is able to turn your mourning into dancing. Call onto the name of Jesus Christ and change your eternity from hell to heaven forever.