from worst to best
"The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his earlier ones." —Job 42:12
"We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His decree" (Rm 8:28). God illustrated this in the life of Job, who received double the possessions that he had lost (Jb 42:10). After the deaths of his ten children, "he had seven sons and three daughters" (Jb 42:13). "In all the land no other women were as beautiful as the daughters of Job" (Jb 42:15). Job lived twice as long as was normally expected (Jb 42:16; Ps 90:10).
The Lord also makes all things work together for the good by shooting down Satan from the sky like lightning (Lk 10:18) and then quickly crushing the evil one under our feet (Rm 16:20). Satan's works backfire on him as we reject him, all his works, and all his promises.
The Lord's greatest miracle in turning everything (even the bad) to the good is His gift of salvation, in which He inscribes our names in heaven (Lk 10:20). The Lord takes our tragically fallen nature, drowns it in the waters of Baptism, and gives us a new nature, a share in His divine nature (2 Pt 1:4).
Let Jesus bless, free, and save you. Let Him change the worst into the best.
Prayer: Father, fill me with hope even in the most tragic circumstances of my life.
Promise: "I tell you, many prophets and kings wished to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." —Lk 10:24
Praise: The final illness of Robert's father was used by God to draw him to Himself.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Hope for the Hopeless on audio AV 63-1 or video V-63.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Richard L. Klug, April 10, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 18, 2002