I’ve been reading in the book of Isaiah lately. It’s a mixture of depressing and super encouraging all at once. It’s Isaiah lambasting the Israelites for rejecting God, and then telling them they’re going to be turned over to Assyrians and Babylonians… And then it’s talking about the goodness of God and how He’ll redeem them. And then it’s massive threats from God against the oppressive cultures that He turned the Israelites over to…
Not gonna lie. It’s been a tough read. But I’ve discovered a few cool things from the book. It’s that our enemies can actually be good things in disguise. Here’s why.
1. God uses your enemies for your own good.
By turning over the Israelites to their enemies, God was trying to get Israel’s attention. They had rejected God – their source of salvation. Nothing else could get their attention. So although the enemies seemed to triumph over Israel, Israel god the benefit from their enemies.
2. He doesn’t excuse them for their mistreatment of you.
At the same time, God was ticked off about how the Assyrians treated the Israelites. The Assyrians, just because God used them, weren’t going to get off without being punished. God will ultimately make things right. We like to hope God will punish evil-doers, but it’s fascinating that He can use them even when they act contrary to His will.
3. Your enemy gives God a chance to get glory.
And through God’s deliverance, He gets glory. Your life becomes a testimony to the goodness of God, even in suffering or pain. Even when you’re mistreated, God will make things right. Your life then is a beacon of light pointing people toward God.
Remember, we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). We don’t need to. Because if God is for us, nobody can be against us (Romans 8:31). Instead, we choose to look for the goodness of God in the situation, and see good even when enemies seem stacked against us.