God Uses All Things For Our Good And His Purposes

In summary of Romans 8:28 it says,

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Bottom Line:

God will use everything to work toward the good of those who love him, he will work them into his purpose.

What this means to me:

This verse reminds me that everything I go through and experience in life will be used by God, whether I consider it good or bad.  God has a purpose for everything and uses it to further his kingdom and grow me.  So in this I can be sure that every detail in my life of love for God will be worked into something good.  As I look at this this morning, I’m reminded of several folks in my life who are facing difficult situations (sickness, job stability, illness in a family member.) For them those pills are bitter going down, but all of them have peace in knowing that God is working regardless of the outcome.  I too have experienced similar issues in the past, but I have come to realize (like my friends) that God is up to something good, even if we can’t always see it. He is actively working to bring good out of whatever happens in life. To hold on to hope in the midst of tough times, it’s important to grab a hold of this truth on hold onto it always.  

This verse, tells us that when you put your whole life together, every piece of it works together for good. It’s similar to making a cake in which I might not like the taste of each ingredient, but when it’s all put together, its hard for me to keep my hands off of it. God wants to bake an amazingly tasty cake with my life, and he wants to use even the distasteful and bitter elements to do it.  It’s important to note that God doesn’t say that everything works together “like we want it to” or that every story will have a happy ending. The reality is not every decision I make will be a success.

The verse also reminds me that since I’m a believer I can have absolute confidence that the Master Designer of the universe causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.  Hope isn’t the same as optimism. It isn’t the belief that something bad will turn out well. It’s the absolute confidence that every part of your life ultimately makes sense regardless of how it turns out this side of eternity.  

From my vantage point, my life look like a mess at times, but God’s view from Heaven isn’t the same as ours.  You can’t even imagine the good that God has in store for your future. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says, “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future” (NCV).  My future is in his hands — and there’s no better place for it to be.