One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture, and perhaps one of the most comforting is (Romans 8:28): “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.”
R. C. Sproul commenting on this verse shared the following: “Romans 8:28 is one of the most comforting texts in all of Scripture. It assures the believer that all ‘tragedies’ are ultimately blessings. It does not declare that all things that happen are good in themselves but that in all the thing that happen to us God is working in and through them for our good. This is also firmly grounded in His eternal purpose for His people.”1
Clearly things like cancer, accidents, and death, in themselves, are not good, but in God’s eternal purposes He will use them for His glory and our ultimate good. Take cancer for example. If a Christian comes down with cancer the cancer is not good, but God can use this disease in many positive ways. The Christian can learn to draw closer to God and pray more – both of which are blessings. The Christian can use this infirmity to show His courage in the face of tragedy and give him a wonderful platform to witness to his doctors and nurses. And the Christian can learn to give thanks to God that one day he will no longer get sick and when he dies he will put on immortality and receive his glorified body.
Not only can (Romans 8:28) bring us great comfort when we go through trials and suffering but when we combine this precious text with (Roman 8:18) we can take on even joy when these calamities hit us because we can proclaim what the Apostle Paul shared: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Since joy does not depend on circumstances, and as we have seen in several past devotions, that suffering is often the pathway to joy, we can focus not on the suffering but on the glory we are accumulating now and in eternity.
If you still don’t think that God can bring good out of tragedy then I ask you to consider what happened at Calvary. For it was at the cross that God used the absolute worst thing that ever happened in history – the death of Jesus – to bring about the absolute best thing that could ever happen – the salvation of our souls. My friends trials, tragedies, and suffering afford us the opportunity to turn these negatives into blessings and opportunities to advance the kingdom and bring glory to God. And since one of the main purposes of life is that it provides us the training grounds for eternity, why not realize that God has a divine purpose for even the negative things in our lives. And after all isn’t the main purpose in life to glorify God!
Even in the Old Testament we see this same principle at work. Just read (Genesis 50:20). This verse is what I like to call the (Romans 8:28) of the Old Testament: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” The context revolves around the brothers of Joseph selling him into slavery and then seeing how God used this negative to bring about Joseph being elevated to the Prime Minister of Egypt, and using his high position to save many people from the severe famine in Egypt. You probably know the story. If not please read my devotion dated May 19, 2022: “Joseph – from Slave to Prime Minister.”2
Whether in the Old or New Testament God is the same. He is always working out good for His children. Sometimes we see the good He is orchestrating through our struggles, but even when we don’t we can trust that our Lord’s divine purposes will be accomplished. So, the next time you face trials and suffering know that God has a plan to use it, and you, for good and His glory!
1 Inspirational Quotes by R. C. Sproul – page 2 (bibleportal.com)
2 Joseph – From Slave To Prime Minister – Bible Apologetics – A DAILY DEVOTIONAL