The Goodness of Good Friday

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of those verses many of us have plastered around our homes. It’s a scripture we write in greeting cards to new grads or pray over a couple starting a new family. But when I was 17 and lying in a hospital bed, Jeremiah 29:11 was a verse I just couldn’t wrap my mind around. Quadriplegia and life in a wheelchair? 

“This can’t be good for me,” I thought, “Surely this isn’t God’s plans for my future.” But with time and good Christian counsel, I was able to see God’s hand in my hardship — and that sometimes, God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves. It’s what God did when He gave His only son to die for us: God permitted what He hated (the cruelty of Christ’s crucifixion) to accomplish something He loved (that is salvation for a world of sinners). And in the same way, God permitted what He hated (my spinal cord injury) to accomplish something that He loved (Christ in me, the hope of glory)!

It’s why Good Friday really is good to me — and it should be to you, too! Because no matter what your trouble, you can look back at what Jesus did on the cross and gain newfound hope for tomorrow. Oh friend, when we have this big view on suffering — the view that intertwines us with God’s story at the cross — we have an explanation for what we are going through. What’s more, we have hope … hope for a better, greater future in Jesus Christ. So today, join me in celebrating the goodness of God. For He is good, all the time. Happy Good Friday!