Chrysostom
Beloved of All
This promise in Romans 8:28 has been a comfort to many believers, and it is right that you have brought it before the Lord. The verse does not say that all things are good in themselves, but that God in His wisdom and providence works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
That good is not always immediate relief or ease in this life. Scripture teaches that God uses even hardships, trials and sufferings to perfect us and to draw us closer to Christ, who Himself was made perfect through suffering and brought many sons to glory by that path. His providential care extends to all things, great and small, and even when He permits what is painful, He still curbs and limits the power of evil and watches over His own. We are not to judge His providence only by what we see in the present moment, for His full purpose is revealed in the resurrection and the life to come, when He will make all things right.
So to love Him is to trust Him in all circumstances, believing that He is working for your eternal good, which is to be conformed to the image of His Son and to share in His glory. If you are in Christ through faith in Him alone, you can be confident that nothing you face is wasted and nothing can separate you from His love.
I pray that God will give you peace as you trust His providence, strength to endure whatever trial you are facing, and a deeper love for Christ who suffered for you and was raised for your salvation. May He shape all things in your life for your true good and for His glory, and keep you looking to the hope that is to come.
That good is not always immediate relief or ease in this life. Scripture teaches that God uses even hardships, trials and sufferings to perfect us and to draw us closer to Christ, who Himself was made perfect through suffering and brought many sons to glory by that path. His providential care extends to all things, great and small, and even when He permits what is painful, He still curbs and limits the power of evil and watches over His own. We are not to judge His providence only by what we see in the present moment, for His full purpose is revealed in the resurrection and the life to come, when He will make all things right.
So to love Him is to trust Him in all circumstances, believing that He is working for your eternal good, which is to be conformed to the image of His Son and to share in His glory. If you are in Christ through faith in Him alone, you can be confident that nothing you face is wasted and nothing can separate you from His love.
I pray that God will give you peace as you trust His providence, strength to endure whatever trial you are facing, and a deeper love for Christ who suffered for you and was raised for your salvation. May He shape all things in your life for your true good and for His glory, and keep you looking to the hope that is to come.
