Romans 8:28

We are blessed that you have brought Romans 8:28 before us, for it is a precious promise and we love to meditate on it together with you. We sense in those question marks that you may be wondering if this is truly true, or how it can be true when life is hard, and we want to walk through this verse with you in truth.

The verse as written says, We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. This does not say that all things are good, but that God in His sovereignty and love works all things together for good. Even sorrow, waiting, disappointment, and trials are not wasted in His hands. As Joseph could later say to his brothers, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Genesis 50:20.

We want to gently point out the precious condition in this promise. It is for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. To love God is to know Him and to be in relationship with Him, and that relationship is only possible through Jesus Christ. We noticed your request did not mention the name of Jesus, and we would not want to miss the chance to share that it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and can claim this promise as our own. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6. There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12. If we have not yet put our trust in Jesus, that He died for our sins and rose again, and confessed Him as Lord, we are not yet able to love God as His redeemed children. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9. This is the foundation for knowing that all things will work together for our good, because we are His.

For us who are in Christ, this good is not always our immediate comfort or what we think is best, but our ultimate good which is to be conformed to the image of His Son. Romans 8:29. He uses all things to refine us, to draw us closer, to make us more like Jesus, and to work for our eternal glory which far outweighs our present troubles. We consider it all joy when we fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. James 1:2-3. And we know our Father hears us when we bring our anxieties to Him, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7.

We pray together for you now.

Father in heaven, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, and we thank You for Your Word and for the promise of Romans 8:28. We thank You that You are sovereign and that nothing escapes Your notice or Your loving hand. For the one who shared this verse, we ask that You reveal Yourself more deeply to them. If they are questioning or walking through a difficult season where it is hard to see Your goodness, we pray You would strengthen their faith and give them eyes to see how You are working. Help them to love You more and to trust Your purpose. Draw them to Jesus if they have not yet fully trusted in Him, that they may be among those who are called according to Your purpose and who can rest in this promise with assurance. Fill them with Your peace and hope, and remind them that You have plans for welfare and not for evil, to give a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11. We ask that You work all things in their life together for good and for Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
 
We notice you left that verse with question marks, and we hear the honest wondering behind it. It is one thing to know those words and another to believe them when life feels heavy or confusing, and it is understandable to ask how God could be working for good right now.

Hope as Scripture describes it is not pretending everything is fine. It is more like an anchor that holds even when circumstances do not feel good. That kind of hope grows slowly, especially when we have been hurt or disappointed, and it is often shaped as we learn to see God as steady and loving even while we walk through suffering we do not understand. We do not have to force ourselves to feel hopeful to be faithful.

If that verse feels tender today, it can help to bring the question itself to God honestly in prayer, just as you wrote it here, and to share it with one trusted pastor or friend who can listen and walk with you rather than carrying the wondering alone.

Father, you see this heart and the questions being carried. Draw near with your peace and presence, give wisdom for each next step, and help hope to grow again in your love. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.
 
Lord Jesus please richly bless, protect and guide them. Please help them in accordance with your perfect will Father. Thank you and praise you. In your holy name I pray. Amen.
 
There is unspeakable comfort in the text you have quoted, yet it must be rightly understood lest we make it say what it does not say. The apostle does not say that all things are good in themselves, for there are many things that are grievous and sinful and bitter, but he does say that God works in all things for good to them that love Him, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

Mark well to whom this promise belongs. It is not to all men without distinction, but to those who love God because He has first loved them and brought them to Himself through Jesus Christ. If you are out of Christ, you are not yet under this promise, but if you have been brought to trust in Him alone for salvation, then you may claim it with confidence. For we are justified by faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and being reconciled, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And how shall we be assured that God will indeed make all things work together for good. Because He is in one mind and His purpose is not divided nor changed. He has one great purpose which extends through all ages and embraces all things, and who can turn Him. What His soul desireth, that He doeth. None of these things cometh by chance, none happeneth out of order, but everything cometh according to the purpose of His own will. This is matter of great rejoicing, for then everything falls into its proper place and has its appropriate bearing on other events. His purpose is sure to be effected, and therefore the good He has purposed for His people shall not fail.

Think also of our Lord Jesus, who was made a perfect Saviour through suffering. He was not made perfect in character by His suffering, for He always was perfect, perfect God and perfect man, but He was made officially perfect, perfect as the Captain of our salvation through His sufferings. And this will ennoble and dignify the whole work of grace. If the Head was made perfect through suffering, shall the members expect to be perfected without it. Your afflictions, your temptations, your tears, are not wasted. Our Lord obtained a tender sympathy through suffering, having been Himself tempted, and He now succours them that are tempted. He knows the weight of the trial, and He will so order it that it shall work for your good, to wean you from the world, to refine your faith, and to make you meet for glory.

If guilt lies heavy upon you, remember that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow through His sacrifice. It would be cheap faith to take Christ as the saints Saviour, but it is the faith of Gods elect to take Him as the sinners Saviour. Come to Him just as you are and trust in Him alone.

May the Lord teach you from your youth and throughout your days to see His wondrous works even in dark providences, and to declare them with a trusting heart. May He give you grace not only to fear and then to trust, but to trust and not to fear, knowing that He who spared not His own Son will with Him also freely give you all things needful and make even your sorrows serve your everlasting good.
 

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