Joel Osteen - All Is Well
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Even in difficulties, loss, or unfair situations, declaring «all is well» keeps us in peace and faith, trusting God is in control and will turn things for good. Through stories like the Hebrew teenagers, the Shunammite woman, Job, Daniel, and personal experiences, the message shows that this attitude invites God’s intervention and leads to victory.
The Power of «All Is Well»
I want to talk to you today about all is well. It is easy to go through life worried about the future, frustrated because a dream has taken so long, upset because somebody did us wrong.
But instead of complaining about the difficulty, instead of being sour because your plans did not work out, you need to remember these three simple words: all is well. God is still on the throne. He is directing your steps. He would not have allowed it unless He had a purpose for it.
When you are tempted to get discouraged, keep reminding yourself, all is well. I lost my biggest client. I am not stressed over it. I know something better is coming. All is well.
Peace in Every Situation
I was cheated in a business deal. That is all right. God is my vindicator. All is well. Prayed for my loved one, but they did not make it. I am not bitter. I know they are in heaven rejoicing where there is no pain. All is well.
When you have this all is well attitude, there is a peace, a rest. It takes the pressure off. You do not live on a roller coaster. You know all is well when you are on the mountaintop and all is well in the valley.
All is well when business is great and all is well when it is not so great. You have a made-up mind. You know God is bigger than any obstacle. As long as you stay in faith, nothing can keep you from your destiny.
The Faith of the Hebrew Teenagers
That is what three Hebrew teenagers did in the scripture—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They refused to bow down to the king’s golden idol. They were about to be thrown into a fiery furnace.
They could have complained, «God is not fair. We are doing Your will and look what happens.» No, they said to the king, «We are not going to bow. We know our God will deliver us, but even if He does not, we are still not going to bow.»
They were saying all is well if it goes our way and all is well if it does not go our way. All is well if our prayers get answered and all is well if they do not get answered.
God Makes a Way
The king had them thrown into that furnace. It should have instantly killed them. He came back and checked a little later, said to the guards, «Did we not throw three men in bound? I see four men loose and one looks like the Son of God.»
When you know all is well, the Creator of the universe will make things happen that you could never make happen. Like these teenagers, you may be in a situation where you do not see a way out. You could be discouraged, upset, stressed. You need to start declaring all is well.
I am struggling in my marriage, but I am not living stressed—all is well. I am dealing with this addiction, not where I thought I would be in life, but I am not discouraged. God is still working on me. I am not a finished product—all is well.
Declaring Faith in Trials
I never thought I would be facing this legal problem, this sickness, this divorce, this bankruptcy, but can I tell you, all is well. I am at peace. I know God is in complete control.
Maybe you are single. You thought you would have met somebody by now. Let me encourage you—all is well. God already has the right person lined up for you. They are in your future. Now stay in agreement with God.
Do not go around thinking, «Oh, it is never going to happen,» and do not have this attitude—all is well. Maybe your child made some poor choices. Worrying is not going to help. Losing sleep does not make it better.
Replacing Worry with Faith
All through the day, let this phrase play in your mind: all is well. You will hear the voice, «What if he does not change?» Answer back, all is well. «What if he gets in more trouble?» All is well. «What if it does not work out?» All is well.
Replace the thoughts of worry with all is well. Maybe the medical report was not good. It would be easy to let those words play all day long: «You are not going to make it. Learn to live with it.» Turn off that recording. Put on this new recording—all is well.
The number of my days God will fulfill. Nothing can snatch me out of His hands. Or perhaps a legal situation—you do not like it. It was not fair, but all is well. He says in Psalms, the trap the enemy set for me, they will fall in themselves.
Trusting God Completely
When you meditate on this simple phrase—all is well—you are saying, «God, I trust You. You are bigger than this problem. You can turn any situation around.»
It is interesting—the Hebrew teenagers were doing the right thing when the wrong thing happened to them. Being in God’s perfect will does not mean we will not have difficulties. You cannot reach your destiny without opposition, unfair situations, people doing you wrong.
When things come against you, it is easy to think, «Joel, all is not well. Look at these difficulties.» No, the truth is the enemy would not be fighting you unless he knew God had something amazing in your future.
Weeds Before the Harvest
You can stay in faith. You can declare all is well, knowing that that opposition is a sign that something great is coming. In fact, the scripture says do not be surprised when you face various trials.
Do not get bent out of shape because life threw you a curve. You had an unexpected challenge. Sometimes we face difficulties not because we are doing something wrong, but because we are doing something right.
Jesus told a parable about this in Matthew chapter 13. A farmer went out and planted wheat in his field. He sowed good seed. He was doing the right thing. But at night while he slept, an enemy snuck in and planted weeds in his soil.
Unexpected Challenges
When it came time for harvest, the weeds popped up with the wheat. He thought, «Where did this come from? I did not sow these seeds.»
Anytime you are doing the right thing—honoring God, being productive, helping others—do not be surprised if you find some weeds among your wheat. Like this farmer, it does not mean you have done anything wrong.
We think, «I have been loyal to this company for 20 years. How could they treat me badly? I raised my child right; now he is veering off course. I just do not understand it.» Those are simply weeds that the enemy has sown into your field.
Weeds Signal Breakthrough
The good news is those weeds cannot keep you from your destiny. If that trouble was going to stop God’s plan, He would have never permitted it. What I have learned is the weeds always pop up right before the harvest.
Your business slows down, a child acts up, you have trouble in a relationship. Do not panic. You are close to your breakthrough. Your harvest is about to come. That is why the weeds are popping up.
Instead of falling apart—"God, why did this happen?"—no, our attitude should be, «No big deal. It is just another weed. I did not sow it. I do not have to reap it. God said He would take care of it for me.»
God Handles the Weeds
If for some reason you were to lose your job, do not panic. That is just a weed popping up. You stay in faith and God will give you a better job.
If the medical report is negative, do not get discouraged. See that sickness as a weed. It cannot stop you. You are a child of the Most High God. You have the most powerful force in the universe breathing in your direction.
Maybe somebody walked out of a relationship, did you wrong, caused you a lot of pain. Next time you see them, under your breath just say, «Hello, weed.» You do not need them to become who God has created you to be.
Enter Into Rest
This parable ends with the workers asking the farmer, «Should we go pull up the weeds?» He said, «No, just wait, and at the right time they will be destroyed.»
God is saying that to us—the weeds that pop up, the unexpected challenges, the sickness, the trouble at work. You do not have to fight those battles. Do not spend all your life trying to pull up the weeds.
You cannot fix everything in your own strength. And if you are constantly trying to straighten this person out, fix this problem, make this situation resolved, you will be frustrated. The scripture says those who have believed enter into rest.
Peace Amid Struggles
At some point you have got to say, «God, I am trusting You to take care of my weeds.» You keep honoring God, being your best, and God will move the wrong people out of the way. God will restore what has been stolen. God will straighten out the situation at work, at home, for you.
The battle is not yours. The battle is the Lord’s. Be still and know that He is God. See, we should not always be wrought up, uptight, worried, frustrated, trying to fix this, rebuke and resist.
A mature attitude says, «Hey, everything is not perfect in my life. I have some struggles, some situations I wish were different, but can I tell you—all is well. I am at peace. I am not worried. I know at the right time God will take care of my weeds. Until then I am going to relax and enjoy my life.»
A Couple’s Story of Faith
But too often we are frustrated by the difficulties. We have to realize we cannot have a harvest without a few weeds. David would have never made it to the throne without Goliath—a big weed.
We would have never acquired this beautiful facility without a three-and-a-half-year lawsuit. There will be weeds in all of our lives. We are not always going to understand where they came from, why it happened. Do not get discouraged. Just keep moving forward knowing that all is well, and God promises He will take care of your weeds.
I know a young couple—for 10 years they had been saving up to buy their first house. They were so excited. At one point everything came together. They found the house they wanted; they had the funds.
Harvest After the Weed
But on the day they were to sign the closing papers, the young lady was at the realtor’s office finalizing the details when she got a phone call from her husband saying that he had just lost his job.
He had been with this company for six years, always had a great attitude, did his best, but his supervisor did not like him, for years treated him unfairly. What was that? A weed just before the harvest came—that weed popped up.
And they could have been discouraged—"God, I cannot believe this happened.» No, they had this same attitude: all is well. «God, we do not understand it, but it is not a surprise to You.»
The Shunammite Woman’s Faith
When he was not interviewing for another job, he would come up to Lakewood and volunteer. Week after week it did not look like anything was happening. But when you see those weeds popping up—those unexpected challenges, you are doing the right thing but the wrong thing is happening—that is a sign that your harvest is getting closer.
Five months later he got a call from his old company—had not spoken to them since he was let go. An executive from the headquarters informed him they had fired his old supervisor and put a new management team in place and wanted him to come back.
They not only offered him his same position but they restored all of his benefits, all of his seniority, all of his retirement. They went back and checked on the house they wanted to buy—it was still there, just like it had been waiting on them.
Today he is not only excelling in his career, but they are living in that house of their dreams, as happy as can be. God knows how to get rid of the weeds in your life.
Speaking Faith Into the Future
In 2 Kings chapter 4, Elisha prophesied to a lady that she would have a baby. She had been barren her whole life. Sure enough, the next year she had a son. She was thrilled.
When the boy was about 10 years old, he was out in the field playing. His head began to hurt. They carried him to his house where he later died in his mother’s arms.
You can imagine how heartbroken, distraught this woman must have been—after waiting all these years, now her only son is gone. She got on a horse and took off full speed toward Elisha’s house at Mount Carmel.
All Is Well in Tragedy
Elisha saw her coming from a great distance—the dust billowing in the air. He was concerned. He said to his assistant Gehazi, «Go check with the woman and see if something is wrong.»
He jumped on his horse—Gehazi did—and cut the woman off at the path and said, «Ma’am, let me ask you—Elisha is concerned. Is anything wrong?» Without hesitating she said, «No, all is well.» Kept going full speed toward Elisha’s house.
Gehazi thought, «That does not make sense.» Caught back up to her a second time. «Ma’am, let me ask one more time. Is everything okay at your house?» She said, «Yes, all is well.» «Is everything okay with your husband?» «Yes, all is well.» Then he asked, «Is everything okay with your son?» She said it again, «All is well.»
Prophesying Victory
Well, Joel, I am not going to lie if it is not well. I am not going to say that it is well. But really this is what faith is all about. The scripture says you have to call things that are not as if they already were.
When the situation does not look good—you do not see how you could accomplish a dream, your child is off course, every voice says it is not going to happen, it is too late, just accept it—but you dig your heels in and say like this woman, all is well.
That is not just being positive. You are prophesying your future. You are speaking faith into your future. Do not use your words to describe your situation; use your words to change your situation.
Examples of Unshaken Faith
It is easy to talk about the problem—how it is not going to work out. «Well, I just believe in telling it like it is. My back has been hurting for 13 years; I will never get better. Had this addiction since high school; I will never break it.» That is prophesying defeat.
Why do you not do like this lady—in spite of the difficulties, you do not see any sign of it changing—dare to say all is well.
You lost a loved one—you should be depressed. No, all is well. God is still on the throne. You did not get the promotion. Your friend says it is not right; you deserved it. Do not join in, «Yeah, I cannot stand my boss.» No, all is well—something better is coming.
It Shall Be Well
The medical report was not good—yes, but God is good. All is well. You have been in a drought, had not had a good break in a long time—yes, but I am not worried. I know the abundance of rain is coming. All is well in my life.
This lady finally got to Elisha’s house. She told him that her son had died. Elisha got on his horse, went to her home, prayed for the little boy, and he came back to life—a great miracle.
But I do not believe this would have happened if she would have sat around in self-pity, discouraged—"God, it is not fair.» It happened because she believed all is well before she saw any sign of it being well.
Personal Testimony
You may be in a situation right now that is not well—it is not well with your health, it is not well in your finances, or maybe it is not well in a relationship. You have a choice. You can accept it, get discouraged, complain, or you can do like this lady—in spite of what it looks like, in spite of what your mind is telling you, in spite of the negative reports—you can dare to say all is well as well.
This is what Paul and Silas did in the scripture. They were in prison. They had just been beaten with rods, had not done anything wrong, but at midnight they were singing praises to God. They were saying, «We are not distraught. We are not upset. All is well.»
About that time there was a great earthquake. The prison doors flung open. Chains fell off their feet. They walked out as free men.
Job went through a season of great trouble—lost his health, his business. Everything went wrong, but Job did not get bitter. He said, «Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.» He was saying, «If it goes my way or does not go my way, all is well.»
It Is Well With My Soul
Here is the key: if you have to have everything happen your way in order to be happy, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. A mature attitude is, «All is well if my prayers get answered, and all is well if they do not get answered. All is well if people are good to me, and all is well if they are not good to me.»
You are not moved by the circumstances. That takes away the enemy’s power. When you do not have to have your way, he cannot control you. You are saying, «God, my life is in Your hands. You know what is best for me.»
Daniel did this. He was about to be thrown into a den of hungry lions. His attitude was, «If I get eaten by these lions, I will go to be with the Lord today—all is well. If not, I will stay here and finish my course—all is well.»
Lakewood’s Storm and Peace
The next morning the guards came to check on him. I can imagine Daniel lying there in the den of lions, asleep, at peace, at rest. He knew the enemy does not determine our destiny. God determines our destiny.
When you have this «all is well» attitude, you are not moved by the weeds. You are not upset because of a disappointment. You do not lose sleep because somebody did you wrong. You do not live sour because your prayers did not get answered your way.
You know God is still on the throne and He will get you to where you are supposed to be.
I read a story about a man by the name of Horatio Spafford. He was a wealthy businessman that lived back in the 1800s. One night his wife and four daughters were on a ship crossing the Atlantic. They collided with another ship and all four of his daughters were killed.
Declaring Victory Today
His wife sent him a telegram with the terrible news. A few weeks later Mr. Spafford was traveling across the Atlantic to meet his wife. At one point the captain of the ship informed him they were at the exact place where his four daughters had lost their lives.
He took out a pen and wrote these words: «When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot You have taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.»
No matter what comes our way, we need to be able to say with him, it is well with my soul. Life may have thrown me a few curves, but it is well with my soul. All my dreams have not come to pass yet, but it is well. Went through a divorce—I am not bitter; it is well. Lost a loved one—do not understand it, but it is well with my soul.
Fifteen years ago my father went to be with the Lord. I received a call from my mother that night, «Joel, come over quick. Daddy has had a heart attack.» He died the next day.
It seemed like everything was out of control. We did not know what was going to happen to the church. Would people keep coming? Who would the pastor be? There were all these variables.
In the midst of that storm the waves seemed so big. The winds were howling. We could have gotten discouraged, depressed, but really we did what I am asking you to do. We said by faith, «All is well.»
It Shall Be Well With You
Sometimes you have to announce it—not only so you can hear it, not only so God can hear it, but so the enemy can hear it. He is expecting you to fall apart, get depressed, give up on your dreams.
But when you look that adversity in the eye and you are not moved by it—you have still got a report of victory, you have still got a smile on your face, you are still being good to people—that gives him a nervous breakdown.
He hit you with his best shot, but his best was not enough. He does not have the final say. God has the final say. God has not brought you this far to leave you.
You have seen God’s goodness, mercy, favor in the past. You are going to see it again in the future. When it is all said and done, you will still be standing strong.
Now you have got to do your part and speak victory into your future. If you do not talk to yourself the right way, negative thoughts will try to talk you out of it.
The what-ifs will bombard your mind: «What if people do not keep coming, Joel? What if you do not meet the right person? What if you do not have the funds? What if your health does not improve?» No—declare it by faith: all is well.
«God, I may not see a way, but I know You have a way. This may be a surprise to me, but it is not a surprise to You.»
Week after week, month after month, I kept meditating on that simple phrase—all is well. Today we do not have to say it by faith. We can say it as a fact. Lakewood is well. The church is strong. Greatest days are still out in front of us. The future is bright.
How you respond in the difficult times will determine whether or not you reach the fullness of your destiny.
If we would have gotten depressed, discouraged, in self-pity, we would not be here today. Friends, there will be obstacles on the way to your promised land. We all have weeds sown into our fields—things that do not make sense. We do not like it: loss, unfair situations, disappointments.
But do not complain. Do not get bitter. Do like Daniel, do like Job, do like the young couple with the house. Dare to say all is well.
That shows God that you are trusting Him. That is what allows Him to give you beauty for ashes, to turn what was meant for your harm and turn it into your advantage.
Maybe you are in a situation now that you could be discouraged, upset. You do not see how it could ever work out in your favor. But Isaiah says, «Say to the righteous, 'It shall be well with you.'»
You are the righteous. God says say this to you: «It shall be well.» Not hope so, not maybe, not if you get lucky—no, God promises it shall be well with you.
Maybe you lost a loved one. You do not see how you can go on—that is not the end. That is a new beginning. It shall be well with you.
The job situation did not work out. You lost a client. You got let go. Do not worry—God has something better. It shall be well with you.
You are struggling in your finances. You do not know how you are going to make it. God has got it all figured out. He is called the Lord our Provider. He clothes the lilies of the field. He feeds the birds of the air. It shall be well with you.
I am asking you all through the day to let this phrase play in your mind. When you are tempted to get upset, to be worried, offended—just smile: «No thanks. I know all is well.»
Friends, God has promised that all things—not some—all things are going to work out for your good. That means even the weeds are going to work to your advantage.
You may have some weeds in your life right now. Remember that is a sign that you are close to your harvest. You are about to see a breakthrough, healing, restoration, promotion.
You may have to say it by faith today, but one day like the lady with Elisha, you will say it as a fact: all is well in my health—got a good medical report. All is well in my career—dreams are coming to pass. All is well with my children—they are fulfilling their destinies.
You will see the faithfulness of God. Promises will be fulfilled. Negative situations will turn around. I believe and declare you are coming into your harvest, the fullness of your destiny. It shall be well with you in Jesus' name. If you receive it, can you say amen today?