God Will Use This for Good: Surviving the Mess of Life

by Max Lucado

You’ll get through this. You fear you won’t. We all do. We fear that the depression will never lift, the yelling will never stop, the pain will never leave. Here in the pits, surrounded by steep walls and angry brothers, we wonder, Will this gray sky ever brighten? This load ever lighten? We feel stuck, trapped, locked in. Predestined for failure. Will we ever exit this pit? Yes! Deliverance is to the Bible what jazz music is to Mardi Gras: bold, brassy, and everywhere.

Let me be clear. You are a version of Joseph in your generation. You represent a challenge to Satan’s plan. You carry something of God within you, something noble and holy, something the world needs—wisdom, kindness, mercy, skill. If Satan can neutralize you, he can mute your influence.

Admit. Admit your wrongdoing. Admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believe. Believe that Jesus is who he says he is. The Savior of the world. Believe he did what the Bible says he did. He died for your sins and mine. He vacated the grave, and he reigns as Lord over the world. Commit. Commit your life to his cause. Confess your belief privately and publicly. Find a church where you can be baptized, and grow in your faith. There is no fine print. A second shoe is not going to drop. God’s promise has no hidden language. Let grace happen, for heaven’s sake. Of all the things you must earn in life, God’s unending affection is not one of them. You have it. Stretch yourself out in the hammock of grace. Would you let him save you? This is the most important decision you will ever make. Why don’t you give your heart to him right now? Go to God in prayer and tell him, I am a sinner in need of grace. I believe that Jesus died for me on the cross. I accept your offer of salvation. It’s a simple prayer with eternal results.