When faced with an ugly, unrelenting problem, we often cry, "I need a miracle!" A miracle may come, but if it doesn't, does that mean God's goodness isn't at work?

Let me ask another question: Why is Good Friday, the day Jesus hung on a cross, called "good"? If ever a miracle seemed appropriate, it was then. Even the mockers demanded, "If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him" (Mt. 27:42). But Jesus didn't come down. Author Philip Yancey describes it as "a time of No Miracle."

Jesus certainly wasn't deserving of crucifixion. But God, in keeping with His loving purposes, used the evil that Jesus had to endure to accomplish the good that we so desperately needed--to be "reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (Rom. 5:10). That's why that awful day can be called "good."

Are you feeling that a miracle is your only hope of seeing God's goodness at work? Consider what Christ accomplished—not in spite of His sufferings but because of them. Also ponder Good Friday, Christ's day of "No Miracle." One day you'll be able to look back on the dark times in your life and honestly call them "good."  — Joanie Yoder