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. Romans 8.28
What do we know? We know what we know because the Lord revealed it to us in His word. What other people may have told us or what we may have read in books dwarfs compared to a personal assurance and confidence in God’s word. When the trials and troubles of life are raging, we will have no time to go back to these people or turn a page in the books we have read but only the promises of God hidden in our hearts will keep our feet standing strong when others are sinking.
What do we know? What has God revealed to us? We will only know when we spend considerable time in worship, prayer, and the study of the Word of God. They that know their God will be strong and do exploits. This isn’t a storage of facts and mental knowledge about God or His promises, but amid the chaos and confusion, we have a quiet confidence that God is working behind the scenes for our good. While everyone else is running helter skelter, we refuse to lose our sleep or peace because we know who is in control.
What we know about God is often a reflection of our personal relationship with God. Without a functional relationship with someone, you have no clue who they are or how they will behave in a certain situation; we hope for the best, but must be prepared to deal with the worst if it happens. This is not the case with God; we know He is consistent and faithful. We know His purpose is being fulfilled in us daily. We are confident that he will complete what he has started; his silence doesn’t imply he is inactive. This is what we know about God.
We would expect that only good things should work together for our good. It makes little sense that some good plus a little bad plus so much ugliness would still add up to good, but in God’s calculations it’s different. That’s why He is God and we are not. He sees the end from the beginning; he allows us to make those mistakes so we can learn from them. He allows people to betray us so we can depend on Him; He takes certain things and people from us so they don’t become idols and allows us to fail, to keep us humble.
In God’s kingdom, the aim is about who we are becoming. If Christ isn’t formed in us and the fruit of God’s Spirit isn’t clear in our lives, and the pursuit of His purpose isn’t our primary priority, expect God to do or allow whatever to accomplish His purpose. And we may wonder why that relationship ended, or why we went bankrupt, or our child became wayward and abandoned God. God is still God and in control.
When horrible things happen to us, our first concern is ‘why me’ or ‘what have I done to deserve this’. We sulk and get depressed, wondering how long this would go on. Our prayers focus on God removing this trouble. Many years after the burden have been lifted, we look back and are grateful for the trials God allowed, our prayer life has changed, it was a time to dig deeper into God’s word, we had no clue we could fast and a greater anointing and consecration resulted from the curved balls life threw at us. Even when I can’t see you working, you never stop working.
Many times, the second half of this verse isn’t often overlooked. Sadly, the promise that God will work everything for good isn’t for everyone but for a select few people, a special group who love God. Two people may be involved in the same crisis, but the outcomes will be different because one loves God and the other doesn’t. Those who love God know God and are confident that in spite of what happens, God is for them. The promise isn’t for people who attend lots of church or give a hefty offering in church, as these are not synonymous with loving God.
What does it mean to love God? Love isn’t just a feeling but an intentional decision. If we love God, we’ll do all we can to please Him; we will obey His commands; we will fear and serve Him. If we love God, pursuing His purpose will be our greatest priority. God knows if we truly love Him or are offering Him lip service. We can’t claim to love God but love the things, places, and people who don’t love Him. It will also be impossible to love God but not trust Him.
Those who love God imply a continued state of loving God. There are people who loved God in the past but no longer love him. Do you love God, and why do you? We love because He first loved us. Our love for God is a response to His love for us; none of us can love God. Our love is fickle, but God enables us to love Him as we respond to His love. As we come to the cross daily, our love for the Lord will continue to increase, and we will love Him more.
It may seem awkward and unfair that even though God made everyone in the world and purposefully created everyone sent to earth for a specific purpose, not everyone is pursuing a life of purpose. Many do not acknowledge God as Lord over their lives; many are moving through life with neither purpose nor direction. Many care less about God’s plans for them now or in the future, and for this group of people, all things are not working for their good.
Sadly, for many of these people, God has given them up to their depravity and destruction. What a privilege that we have been called according to God’s purpose, that we have a relationship with God, we have a hope beyond the chaos and confusion of this world; we have an inheritance reserved in heaven for us. To discover God’s purpose and pursue it is the greatest achievement of our lives.
It’s one thing to receive a divine calling, but pursuing with full focus God’s call on our lives is another thing entirely. And God promises us that as long as we are in pursuit of His purpose, we can go to bed with both eyes closed knowing that whatever happens, it will work for our good. It’s not our business to determine the good that will come out of life’s trials or how God will work it out for our good, but we keep our eyes on the Lord because we know and are confident that He will do what He says. God keeps His promises; if He says He will, He will do it.
Lord when we have more questions than answers, please still our hearts with your peace. Amen