All Things Work Together for Good

One of the more beautiful verses in the New Testament is in Romans 8: 28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  This is a very comforting passage, knowing that God is with us and will take care of us.  But we also have to understand that God's ways are higher than ours, and we don't always get what we want. 

We know that God doesn't promise health and comfort in this life.  Many times we have to suffer....and we often don't know why.  But a perfect example in the Bible is Paul, who had to endure a "thorn in the flesh" which apparently brought him much discomfort.  Note 2 Corinthians 12:

7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Lord answered Paul's request by saying, "My grace is sufficient..."  Paul wanted a break and asked for it three times, but God said, "No."  Following that we see a good attitude with Paul.  He would just "delight in weaknesses.."  And this is a lesson for us.  If life gets hard, as it often does; we must realize that God knows, God cares, and it will all be okay. 

Back to Romans 8, "What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?....Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"

Then the chapter concludes with these comforting words,

 

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

"All things work together for those who love the Lord...."

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!