Only God can reach into terrible evil and wrench out of it positive good for you and glory for himself. He works all things for good.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with one of your favorite Bible verses.
And I’m sure you’ve got many verses you love and have memorized, but I just bet one of them is Romans 8:28. You know it well, where the apostle Paul says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Now, that’s a pretty broad and sweeping statement. All things can be worked together by God for good? Well, have you ever wondered what the “all things” are that Paul is talking about? Well, 2 Corinthians 11, he lists a few of the “all things” which God used to work together for his own good, and it is quite a list.
Things like severe floggings, being exposed to death. And Paul five times was lashed with a whip, three times beaten severely with rods. Another three times Paul was stoned. He was shipwrecked, constantly on the move, in danger from rivers, bandits, false believers. Paul labored without sleep and while tired, hungry, and thirsty. He even closes out the list by saying, “I have been cold and naked.” Now, these are just a few problems that Paul must have been thinking of when he penned that powerful truth about God using everything for our good and his glory. And in comparison, oh, my goodness, our problems seem – well, they’re pale in light of Paul’s list. For us, “all things” might include – oh, I don’t know – a bad medical report, an overdrawn bank account, a flat tire on the highway, a burnt casserole, or a splitting headache that lasts all morning. Even my wheelchair seems small compared to the constant brushes with death and danger that Paul faced.
But here’s the thing. Here’s what’s so amazing. Our miracle-working God can reach down into what otherwise looks like awful evil – terrible evil – and he and only he can wrench out of it positive good for us and glory for himself. And just what is the good that God worked out all things for in Paul’s life? Well, Paul answers it himself in Philippians 1:12 where he says, “Brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”
Oh, friend, that is the good that God has in mind. True, I’m sure there are lesser goods, such as faith that becomes refined, or a prayer life that gets deeper, an interest in God’s Word that grows stronger, and your character that becomes more like Christ. All these things are good. But more than anything else, God is concerned that the Gospel of Jesus – the Good News of salvation in him – be given a platform in the middle of all the challenges and all the disappointments and heartaches and setbacks in your life.
I mean, I look at my own wheelchair and I can say the same as Paul. I can say with him, “Brothers, I want you to know what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” Oh, my goodness, this wheelchair has opened doors for me to share Jesus in a way I know never would have happened had I remained on my feet. So it’s true: God works all things together for the good – your good and the Gospel’s good. And from that, he gets the glory.
So today I pray you will see that God wants to use each problem and each trial in your life for good. So bite your tongue from complaining, cooperate with the Holy Spirit today, because the inconveniences and problems that you encounter are by no means mistakes. Finally, today, thank the Lord for the assurance that he will work today’s difficulties into a life plan for your good, and for the Gospel’s advancement. And remember – that is for his glory.
© Joni and Friends