And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)

Most Christians are very familiar with these two verses of Scripture. We quote them when life throws us a curve ball or, when as my friend Bob Kellemen says, when the fallen world falls on us. When we encounter things in life that puzzle us or cause us pain we try to rationalize them. We even spiritualize them with the verse above (v. 28), but do we acknowledge God’s role in our lives while we are in the midst of them? We must come back to the place where our lives began – the cross.

We often forget we are slaves of Christ. Our redemption price was His blood, and when we accepted forgiveness we also accepted His sovereignty over the affairs of our lives. I came across a quote by Oswald Chambers that says, “It is only the loyal soul who believes God engineers circumstances.”

We can and must find great hope in such truths. It is hope and comfort for us today and for others who suffer because we know that God is ultimately in charge of our trials. He allows them, overrules them, and sometimes crafts them Himself. He is never surprised at them, and they are never out of His control, His reach, or His grasp. This puts our problems in perspective, doesn’t it?

If God is aware of our problems as the Bible says He is, then what reason is there for us to worry, panic, or even fret over our situation? God is causing all things to work for the good of those who love Him (v.28); those who are called according to His purpose. We bristle at this! Many are not willing to believe or accept this because they do not understand that God does not make mistakes. We become angry when our version of life is altered.

The Bible describes a God who is perfect in His wisdom, His ways, and His timing. God is always with us and he loves us with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3). He comforts us with His presence through the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures. Between the covers of the Bible we learn that God does know what He is doing, despite how it looks to us on the surface. We see this in the Old Testament narratives of great heroes such as Joseph, Moses, Abraham, Ruth, and Esther. This history should encourage us to trust that God has authored every moment of our lives too! He works all things together; the good, the bad, and the seemingly coincidental. He can do this because He is God! He weaves together every aspect and event of our lives and causes them to cooperate to bring about what He has determined. He is able to overrule all the evil in our lives and cause it to work for good.

There is no fine print or disclaimer in the Bible on this subject. Everything in the past, present, and future falls under God’s sovereign jurisdiction. As you begin to identify your greatest challenges to believing God is working out the difficulties in your life, remember the goal: You are to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. God is at work in your life to change you and conform you. Sometimes, well OK, most of the time that involves pain and hardship. Get over the immediate and look to the prize.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 (NASB)

 

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)

Most Christians are very familiar with these two verses of Scripture. We quote them when life throws us a curve ball or, when as my friend Bob Kellemen says, when the fallen world falls on us. When we encounter things in life that puzzle us or cause us pain we try to rationalize them. We even spiritualize them with the verse above (v. 28), but do we acknowledge God’s role in our lives while we are in the midst of them? We must come back to the place where our lives began – the cross.

We often forget we are slaves of Christ. Our redemption price was His blood, and when we accepted forgiveness we also accepted His sovereignty over the affairs of our lives. I came across a quote by Oswald Chambers that says, “It is only the loyal soul who believes God engineers circumstances.”

We can and must find great hope in such truths. It is hope and comfort for us today and for others who suffer because we know that God is ultimately in charge of our trials. He allows them, overrules them, and sometimes crafts them Himself. He is never surprised at them, and they are never out of His control, His reach, or His grasp. This puts our problems in perspective, doesn’t it?

If God is aware of our problems as the Bible says He is, then what reason is there for us to worry, panic, or even fret over our situation? God is causing all things to work for the good of those who love Him (v.28); those who are called according to His purpose. We bristle at this! Many are not willing to believe or accept this because they do not understand that God does not make mistakes. We become angry when our version of life is altered.

The Bible describes a God who is perfect in His wisdom, His ways, and His timing. God is always with us and he loves us with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3). He comforts us with His presence through the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures. Between the covers of the Bible we learn that God does know what He is doing, despite how it looks to us on the surface. We see this in the Old Testament narratives of great heroes such as Joseph, Moses, Abraham, Ruth, and Esther. This history should encourage us to trust that God has authored every moment of our lives too! He works all things together; the good, the bad, and the seemingly coincidental. He can do this because He is God! He weaves together every aspect and event of our lives and causes them to cooperate to bring about what He has determined. He is able to overrule all the evil in our lives and cause it to work for good.

There is no fine print or disclaimer in the Bible on this subject. Everything in the past, present, and future falls under God’s sovereign jurisdiction. As you begin to identify your greatest challenges to believing God is working out the difficulties in your life, remember the goal: You are to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. God is at work in your life to change you and conform you. Sometimes, well OK, most of the time that involves pain and hardship. Get over the immediate and look to the prize.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 (NASB)