"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
the called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28)
There is an old story which is told of a man who raised horses for a living. When one of his
prized stallions ran away, his friends gathered at his home to mourn his great loss. After they had
expressed their concern, the man raised this question: "How do I know whether what happened
is bad or good?" A couple of days later the runaway horse returned with several strays following
close behind. The same acquaintances again came to his house, but this time to celebrate his
good fortune. "But how do I know whether it's good or bad?" the old gentleman asked them. That
very afternoon, one of the horses kicked the owner's son and broke his leg. Once more the crowd
assembled - now to express their sorrow over the incident. "But how do I know if this is bad or
good?" the father asked again. Only a few days later, war broke out. The man's son, however,
was exempted from the military service because of his broken leg. Yes, you guessed it, the
friends again gathered -- but the story stops here. We can easily see how it could go on and on.
This tale points out that from our limited human perspective, it's impossible to know with
certainty how to interpret the experiences of life.
The writer of Ecclesiastes said, "...I surely know that it will be well with those who fear the Lord, who fear before Him." (Eccl. 8:12)