If you know me well, you know I am terrified of bats. Summer evenings I head inside for cover as soon as I hear their high-pitched squeak and see them glide through the night sky. During our zoo adventures when my boys were young, I would quickly dart passed the bat enclosure. No trickery or pleas on the part of my boys could get me to glance inside the encounter. I am terrified of bats.

One afternoon, I took a walk on a new trail, taking in the beauty of the rock cliffs at the Ledges. Seeing spring flowers, tall trees, and moss-covered rocks, I felt my spirit calm as I enjoyed time with God in His creation. As I climbed along the rocks, I passed a cave-like structure blocked by bars. Not thinking much of it, I continued on until I came to a posted sign. I got as far as the first few lines before realization hit that this place would be full of bats at night. Quickly noting in my mind to never be at the Ledges during the evening, I took in the words of the sign and questioned the plea to protect the bats. You see, to me, bats are not good. I am scared of them and having them around is not good. However, I know there is good in having bats around.

Bats are nocturnal and are natural predators of night-flying insects. They consume enormous quantities each night and help save on costs due to crop damage and pesticide. Some bat species also help in pollination and dispersing seeds, contributing to the survival of certain plants and ecosystems. They also serve as prey to other animals, especially owls. I like this one😊 So although they are not good to me, God’s creation of bats is good.

What I may declare as less than good others will declare as good. However, all of us may have complete agreement on what does not seem good – things like wars, natural disasters, divorce, arguments, death, disease, cancer…how can these things be good? We were never promised everything in life would be good or free from suffering, but can they be instruments of good?

Even the children of Isreal, God’s chosen people, suffered, sometimes as the result of sin. Taken into exile, the children of Isreal found Babylon a far different way of life and culture than the life they were used to in Jerusalem. They had a challenging time settling in, and as their relationship with God was restored, they waited for a quick release from this exile. Rather than release, God gave them a letter through Jeremiah offering encouragement and a promise.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Encouraging them to settle and thrive in the new land, God redirected their focus from His plan to Him. He assured them He knew the plan for them but rather than trusting the plan, they needed to trust Him. To draw their focus off of the current situation, God shared with them His plans for their future and their promised hope. In shifting the focus off of their present circumstances, God offered Himself and the assurance of their future. Knowing what God would do later helped them to not be overcome in their present. His only requirement was for the people of God to seek Him completely, and then they would find Him.

Not everything we face in life will be good. So often when we face difficulty or ongoing suffering, we can keep so much of our focus on the difficulty that we forget to see Jesus. We wait for Him to take us out of the situation instead of seeking Him. We wait for good to come when maybe the good He knows we need is far different from what we expect or are looking for. God gives us the same encouragement and promise. He knows the plan, and He wants us to trust in Him and look to our future hope. God requires the same of us that He did the children of Isreal – our heart. When we come to Him wholeheartedly, we will find Him.

God offers the same promise to you. Even if your difficulties are slow to change or never change, you will see good. Good may come as you walk alongside another who now faces the pain you once faced. The greatest good comes as you experience closeness with Jesus. When you seek God with your whole heart, you will find Him. Walking close with Him through the rest of your life, you will one day reach the end of His plan – your eternal future with Jesus. There is nothing better than that!