God is Good…ALL the Time! by Karla
(Note from Linda: The FAM Fellowship members are again blessed by a powerful and encouraging message and After Marriage Restoration testimony from Karla, and I really appreciate her permission to share it here as well because I know many men and women standing for marriage restoration will be blessed by it too. When we consider Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18, there is no way to deny that God is indeed good ALL the time and that no matter what we hear or see, with God it is ALWAYS good! So study and memorize those verses and be blessed and encouraged because they cover it ALL!)
Hi FAMM Family! I apologize for how long it’s been since I last posted, but my husband and I have been spending time catching up on home projects that were left undone for eight months. And we’ve been spending a lot of time with the kids as a family because we want to make sure they feel secure after all of our separations. We’ve also been spending a lot of time just catching up since we spent the last three years in and out of separations, until we finally got our act together and trusted God with our marriage!
The title of this post is something we say in church each Sunday when we “pass the peace” and our pastor even makes us repeat it if we are not enthusiastic enough about it. In fact, he often keeps it up until we are yelling it! And it happens to be what I have taken away from my three year journey to marriage restoration, because God was good…ALL the time! He was good when things went bad; He was good when I made mistakes; He was good when my world was crumbling around me; He was good when I didn’t trust Him; He was good when I whined, grumbled, and complained before I let go; and He was good even when I blamed Him for my marriage not being restored when I wanted it restored. God was good, and is good…ALL the time!
In the NIV study bible, “good” is referenced one hundred twenty-three times, so I want to share some of them here. One of the ones we hear the most here at FAMM is Romans 8:28, which says…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. And God certainly worked everything out for my good during my stand for the restoration of my marriage! But He did not restore my marriage until He knew I completely and fully trusted Him, and there was no fooling Him!
In the past, I had not trusted Him with my marriage, so I took matters into my own hands and tried to fix myself, my husband, and my marriage because I simply didn’t trust Him or His timing. Yet He waited patiently for me to become patient with Him during my stand, which I finally did. God is good…ALL the time!
Romans 12:2 tells us…Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His GOOD, pleasing, and perfect will. This passage of scripture speaks volumes about what went on in my heart and mind during my stand. Prior to really standing for my marriage, I wasn’t conforming to the pattern of this world because I was saved and had a relationship with Jesus. However, I was not transformed because my mind had not been renewed. I knew something in me needed to change and I even knew that I needed to trust God; but I just couldn’t give Him my marriage, which I probably treasured even more than Him. Fortunately, I came to a place during my last separation when I knew it was now or never…do or die, and I spent a weekend in silence and weeping. And that’s when He spoke to me, and I knew that this was it; that I was going to trust Him and let go of my husband and marriage or continue doing things my way and getting my own disappointing results. I knew my marriage hung in the balance that day, so I made the life-altering decision to lay my marriage, and my husband, who I loved and missed more than anything, at His feet. I literally felt like I was physically presenting a gift of my trust to God at the altar by giving Him what mattered to me the most. And on that day, I was transformed and the next day, I awoke with a renewed mind and a peace beyond comprehension. And I’ll always praise and thank God for what He did with what I gave Him!!! He gave my husband and marriage back to me!!! But He didn’t give them back to me when I wanted them or even when I really felt that I needed them; He gave them back to me when it was the right time to perfect HIS plan and when He knew that I was ready. And not only did He give them back to me; He gave them back to me in ways I had never dreamed of or thought possible. God is good…ALL the time!
Mark 1:15 says…‘The time has come,’” he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the GOOD news.’ I have read this verse before, but as I read it again now while researching scriptures, it took on a whole new meaning. There were times during my stand when I had to “repent and believe the good news” that God was going to restore my marriage. Perhaps the same thing has happened to some of you as well; because I would be standing strong and then the wind of unexpected adversity would come and I would start to sway a bit. I even fell flat on my face a few times, and one of those times was when I knew that the time had come…so I had to repent and believe the good news that God would restore my marriage…AND HE DID!!! God is good…ALL the time!
Hebrews 12:10 says…Our fathers disciplined us for awhile as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our GOOD, that we may share in His holiness. It’s important to include Hebrews 12:11 here as well, because it says…No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. These are very powerful verses of scripture for me, because there was a time that I felt I was being punished by God and that I didn’t deserve to have my marriage restored. But God loves us, and He wants nothing but good for us. I can certainly say that I went through my time of discipline, and now I have a harvest of peace! When I finally made the choice to trust God, the peace that came into my heart is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. So I now have a mantra that I live by, which is “Peace at all cost.” And I’m thankful and forever blessed by the harvest of peace I have received. So when we feel that we are being disciplined, may our hearts always be filled with hope, because our harvest is coming! God is good…ALL the time!
The last verse I want to share is Galatians 6:9, which reminds us…Let us not become weary in doing GOOD, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Amen! And there’s a lot for us in this verse when we consider how it applies to standing for our marriages.
Let us not become weary in doing good…when we are standing for our marriages, we are in the fight of our lives. And doing good is doing GOD’S will, and NOT what everyone else tells us to do. And that’s something I learned the hard way.
for at the proper time…the proper time is His time, and not our time. His time is not when an exact amount of time has passed; nor when too much time has passed. It is HIS time! But I really struggled so very much with getting that. So know that God is going to restore your marriage, and He does not discriminate and restore marriages quicker where children are involved; He does not restore marriages because of a wedding anniversary or any dates that we feel are important; and He does not restore one marriage over another because He plays favorites. But we do not get to determine what the “proper time” is, and if we try, we will just be disappointed. In my case, the “proper time” was after I had truly and completely laid my marriage and husband at His feet, and when He knew I was ready.
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Let me say that last part again…IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP! If, and ONLY IF we do not give up. There might well be days when you feel like giving up, and I was there more times than I care to disclose, but let this be the last day you feel that way. God is a God of healing and restoration and He promises us right here in this part of the verse that we WILL reap a harvest IF we DON’T give up! He did not say we MIGHT reap a harvest; He said we WILL reap a harvest IF we don’t give up! And by the grace of God, I am walking proof of that because I chose not to give up and I have been blessed with a most bountiful harvest!!! So KNOW that God’s most abundant and blessed harvest awaits each of you, fellow standers!!! And I can’t wait to rejoice with you when they manifest! God is good…ALL the time!
Love and Blessings,
Karla