Author Roy B. Zuck once told the story of a medieval man of God who went on a journey.

All he owned were a scroll, a candle, and a rooster. The scroll, he read and loved, the candle provided him light, the rooster crowed to awaken him in the morning.

One evening, he arrived in a small town. He asked hospitality from home after home but was rudely refused both food and lodging.

“God in His mercy and justice does all things well,” said the believing man. He found protection from the wind in a clump of high bushes, tethered his rooster nearby and, with praise in his heart, began to read his scroll.

A sudden gust of wind blew out his light, and the good man found himself without the means to relight his candle.

“God in His mercy and justice does all things well,” said the trusting man. And he prepared to lie down to sleep. Suddenly a fox snapped out of the darkness, and the life of his rooster was gone.

“God in His mercy and justice does all things well,” said the godly man, yet with sorrow. And he lay down and slept.

In the morning, the sunlight awakened him. He gathered his book to his heart and walked back to the unfriendly village.

To his horror, he saw that robbers had come in the night. The village had been plundered and burned. The villagers had been murdered.

The man of God remembered. Had he been granted hospitality, he too would have died; and had his light shone or his rooster crowed, the robbers would have been led to him.

“God in His mercy and justice does all things well,” said the godly man. And in the light of day, he read his scroll and praised God.

Have you been through some rough times in your life? How did you handle them? I dare say that troubles are common obstacles in our lives. And even though we cannot stop trouble from coming our way, we can choose to face it with faith.

In Romans 8:28, the apostle Paul wrote, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

In other words, God has the power to take your worst problems and turn them into blessings for you!

Jeremy Taylor once said, “We are safer in a storm with God than anywhere else without Him.”

No matter what you are facing, God will bring you through it! The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping-stones is the way you use them.

If you will put your faith in God, He will guide your footsteps. Praise Him in the middle of your trouble and you will see Him bring good out of it!

Then you will be able to say, “God in His mercy and justice does all things well.”

Rev. Doug Johnson is the senior pastor at Raven Assembly of God in Raven, Virginia