Rev. Richard Maraj

September 21

All God Does

Count your hardships, your troubles, even your disappointments as stepping-stones to know God’s way better.

Based on Edgar Cayce reading 262-83

On his journey a Jewish rabbi took with him his donkey, his reading lamp, and a rooster as a gift for a friend.

One night he could not find a room at the village inn so he decided to sleep in the woods. As he headed toward the woods, he whispered, "All that God does, God does well."

Before going to sleep, he lit his lamp to study the Holy Books. Suddenly a gust of wind blew out the lamp, knocked it over, and broke it against a stone. As he lay down to sleep he commented, "All that God does, God does well."

During the night wild animals killed his rooster and thieves stole his donkey. When he woke up and saw the loss, he proclaimed again, "All that God does, God does well."

He returned to the village where he had stopped the night before only to discover that enemy soldiers had invaded during the night and killed most of the inhabitants. Then the soldiers had traveled through the woods near where he had slept. If his lamp had not broken, he would have been seen. If his rooster had not been killed, it would have crowed and alerted the enemy. If his donkey had not been stolen, it would have brayed and he would have been found.

As he walked home, he said again, "All that God does, God does well."

APPLICATION: Look at a series of disappointments in your past. See if you can now view them as stepping-stones to understanding God's broader plan for your life.