And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV
This verse is among my top ten of very favorite verses. At first glance someone may think this is just one of those feel good verses and that that’s why it is so loved. But when you look a little deeper you see that it is not saying that all is going to always FEEL good but that when left to God He will work things out for good. Also, when you look at where this verse lands in scripture you can see that it is not talking about feel good circumstances. Let’s take a look at the verses preceding.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
Do you see what is happening here? Have you ever had a situation so out of control, so big that you just simply did not know what to pray anymore? Maybe you have prayed very specifically in the past and it worked out as you prayed but when it did, it still didn’t seem to work the situation out. I know I have. Now I do believe in praying specifically at times. But I have also become a believer in praying for God to just Be God and for Him to work things out the best way. I am so glad to have Holy Spirit on my side because I know that when I don’t know the best way things need to work out, which is most of the time, that He does. Only I am probably like most people that it’s not until I am at the end of myself and my prayers are “groanings too deep for words” that I call on God to do it His way, to pray for the results that would be good overall not just what would make me feel good.
The main thing I want to note and I have to remember about our key verse here is it is not saying that all things are going to feel good all the time. First there is the element “for those who love God” and then “He will work all things together for good”. I have often said sometimes things have to fall apart before they can get better. Unfortunately a lot of us check out during the fall apart stage. There are people who have turned their back on God because they couldn’t see Him during the fall apart stage of things. But during the fall apart stage is when you have to keep laying things at His feet and you hand it all over to God with groaning that are too deep for your words and you say “take care of it Lord, it’s yours.”
When things get to the fall apart stage, don’t give up, don’t walk away, just keep laying It at His feet and let Him work things out for good. When you don’t know what to do anymore is when He will come in and make something beautiful of the mess. Our job is to love God and then to ask Him to use us, to use whatever good came out of our mess for His good and His glory according to His purpose!
Restore 