And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28). I was hearing a beautiful song, and the lyrics were this verse. As I listened, the words went right to my heart, and I knew God was giving me that promise. Since the summer I was eleven, I have considered Romans 8:28 my life verse.
The previous summer, when I had been ten, all of my close friends had moved away within a few months of each other. Prior to that, I had had a very fun-loving, happy childhood, surrounded by close friends. These weren't just my friends. Their parents were my parents' friends. Their siblings were my siblings' friends. Our families had all been connected. These people had been part of our close-knit church and small Christian school. We had gone to each other's houses for dinner. We had celebrated Easter and the Fourth of July together. We had gone Christmas caroling as a group every year. Without them, life had felt lonely. I still had some friends in my life, but they were more like acquaintances. My fifth grade school year had been more quiet and introspective. Other girls already had their best friends, and I was left out. One time, a teacher had played a trivia game with us, entitled, "How Well Do You Know Your Best Friend?" Everyone was told to go sit by their best friend. Guess who was the only one without a best friend? This might seem small--and it is compared to many people's problems. But it felt big to me. It was a time of growth I didn't realize was happening.
That summer at camp, I had been really excited to meet some girls my age in my cabin. They were very friendly to me, and we had a lot in common. That lonely, left-out part of my heart seemed to be regaining its feeling. As we were hanging out that first day, some other girls arrived. One was a year younger than me. She didn't have a lot of friends. The kids from her church group picked on her, and shunned her, and pretty soon, she was the lowest one in the camp pecking order. Knowing what it felt like to be left out, I felt drawn to her. I felt God calling me to befriend this girl (it was the first time in my life I ever felt God calling me to do something). This girl was bright and beautiful, but had had some really hard times in her life. The more I learned about her throughout the week, the more I knew I needed to be her friend. It was so exciting that our counselor was able to lead her to Christ during the week!
So what did it all mean? I had a lonely school year of quiet growth, and then I befriended a lonely girl at camp. Now, just a few weeks after camp, the dots were being connected. ...in all things---ALL THINGS--God works for the good of those who love Him... Did this mean that, when my close friends moved away, and I felt left out, God was working it for the good? Well, the proof was in the pudding. Had I not experienced the loneliness that school year, I would never have had the compassion or even the thought to specifically reach out to this girl at camp. It was obvious I was more like Jesus than I had been a year earlier. And if God could do that, did it mean that He was working other things for the good too? Did He have plans for everything that ever happened? I was overwhelmed by God's love for me, and His sovereignty over everything that happened in my life--and in the world! My God got much bigger that summer. Or rather, my view of God got much bigger.
Like many of my posts, this one was inspired by a book I recently read. This one was entitled, God Works All Things Together For Your Good, living in the Promise of Romans 8:28, by Robert J. Morgan. You can purchase here.
I was only eleven when God gave me Romans 8:28 as my life verse. At that time, I could point to one instance in my life that had been hard, and had seen how God worked it for good in me and for someone else. In the many years since, I have seen this happen over and over again. But don't take my word for it. Let's look at this very special promise that God has made to all of His people.
We know--the verse starts with the words And we know. God has revealed this truth to us, not only here in Romans 8:28, but throughout scripture. This truth of God redeeming out situations is seen from Genesis to Revelation. One of the most famous verses about this in the Old Testament is when Joseph told his brothers (who had sold him as a slave to Egypt) in Genesis 50:20, As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. We see God's redemptive workings throughout the Bible. Just a few examples are: Abram and Sarai's infertility and age were redeemed in the miracle of baby Isaac (Genesis 21). Moses' upbringing and following mistakes led him to become a great leader (the book of Exodus). Rahab, the prostitute was redeemed and grafted into God's people, as well as the lineage of Jesus Christ (Joshua 2, Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31). Ruth's widowhood and status as a foreigner led to her marriage and also being grafted into the lineage of Jesus (the book of Ruth, also Matthew 1:5). Esther's orphanhood and status as a Jewish exile in Persia led to her being queen and saving her people from annihilation (the book of Esther). And, of course, Jesus' death led to His resurrection, and our salvation! Through these accounts, we can know the truth of the promise.
All things--every minute detail is subject to God's work. This verse doesn't say all things are good. It says God works all things for good. Nothing is beyond God's redemption. There is nowhere in the Bible where we are told we can mess up so badly that God can't redeem it. Instead, we are told God is at work in all of it, no matter what! Sometimes, we have to wait to see what God was really doing all that time. Sometimes, we see redemption and miracles. Other times, we have to believe by faith that God is using it, and it will make an impact we can't imagine. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:12, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. Paul saw that his hardships served in bringing people to Christ, but there is no way he could have foreseen us all reading about them and having our lives changed because of them almost two millennia later! A professor I had in Bible college used to say that there are ripple effects to your obedience that you'll never know. Isaiah 55:9 tells us, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. God is up to things we can't possibly imagine, but will one day glorify God for!
Work Together--I have used this illustration with children. Would you like to eat a spoonful of flour? Yuck, no! How about salt? (No thanks!) How about a raw egg? (Disgusting!) Maybe some sugar? (okay, maybe that!). Baking soda (No!). How about some shortening? (Gross!). How about some vanilla extract? (It smells good, but tastes terrible!). How about some chocolate chips? (Well...yeah!). Yet, when you mix these ingredients together, they produce a batch of delicious cookies. The same is true for the events God weaves together in our lives. Nothing is an isolated incident. God works it with other things to produce something beautiful. He has made everything beautiful in its time... (Ecclesiastes 3:11a).
For the Good--again, I reiterate that not everything is good, but God can work it for good. Sin and evil were never part of God's plan, but He can take those terrible things and spin straw into gold, so to speak. Corrie ten Boom spent a year in a concentration camp during World War II. She watched her sister Betsy die there. She saw the worst of humanity. And yet in that camp, she was able to hold a Bible study. When she got out, she went all over the world, sharing the Gospel with people, and using her story to share God's truth. God turning evil to good doesn't make light of the terrible things. He redeems them. I've already referenced Joseph's story in the book of Genesis. He went through years of terrible experiences. His brothers hated him and sold him as a slave. He was falsely accused of attacking his master's wife and put in prison. He was forgotten for years. But finally, God used Joseph to help Egypt (and consequently the world) prepare for a famine, which ultimately brought his family back together and saved them all! What he went through was not good. He might have had trauma for the rest of his life over what he had experienced. And yet God was able to get so much good to come out of it.
Of those who love God--this promise is available to all God's children. We love God. Love isn't just an idea. It is a relationship. God wants you to know and love Him. Some people see God as a distant impersonal force, but God wants you to have a relationship with Him. He wants you to know and love Him.
Who are called according to His purpose--no one is simply a child of God in a vacuum. We are called to a purpose. God has a plan for your life. A very specific plan that won't fit anybody but you. God has people for you to impact that no one else can as effectively as you can, in light of your heart, experiences, ideas, and gifts. But being called according to His purpose goes even further than that. To figure it out, we need to look at the next verse, Romans 8:29. It says, For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Furthermore, verse 30 continues, And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. This gives us a picture of God's Sovereignty in our lives, our salvation, calling, and everything else. The goal is to make us more like Jesus, and then to accomplish things that He has in store for us. Ephesians 2:10 says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Sometimes, that calling is beyond our wildest dreams.
Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. I have a fun object lesson I use with students for this verse. I give out fun sized Milky Way bars, and I tell them that this represents their life. God has given it to them, and they can eat and enjoy it. But, then I ask the kids, "Do you trust me?" I get mixed answers for that! I then ask them to give their candy bar back to me. I tell them it's their choice, but I'd like them to give it back. Some give it back. Others don't. I'll read this verse, and tell them that God wants us to give our lives back to Him, and if we do...here I give everyone who returned their fun size bar to me a KING SIZED Milky Way. God has something better in store. This doesn't mean it will be perfect, or better in a worldly way. But it will be better and wonderful. It will give us joy. Most importantly, it will lead us to love God more deeply, and be more like Jesus. Secondarily, it will also be a perfect fit for us, who God made us to be and that will give deep satisfaction that can't come from worldly success.
Before I wrap up, how does God work all things for our good? Is it just for our benefit? No! God works out unexpected blessings in our lives. God works things out in His perfect ultimate will for history (of which we are a small part). God works for the good of those around as--a case in point being Joseph being used to save his family from famine in Genesis. God works for our own growth and depth. God works for the Gospel to spread. Psalm 33:11 says, The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. I will close with Isaiah 46:10, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.
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