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.
Romans 8:28
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I have to tell you, this verse used to confuse the crud out of me. I’d hear well-intentioned Christians quote it at each other and my forehead would go all wrinkly.
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Because in reality, Christians suffer. They lose their jobs. Or get cancer. Or struggle through infertility. Or find out their child needs a new heart. Or (insert any number of bad things here).
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And the whole idea of patting their shoulder and saying, “Don’t worry. God will work this out for your good” feels a little insensitive to me.
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Especially since sometimes, another job doesn’t come and they have to foreclose on their house. Sometimes the cancer wins. Sometimes they’ll never get a positive pregnancy test. And sometimes the child doesn’t get a heart.
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So how can we possibly say God’s working for their good? It doesn’t make any sense.
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At least not by our definition of good.
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And there’s the crux of the verse. That one simple word.
What is good?
We know the world’s definition. To the world, good equals comfort. Good equals prosperity and health and popularity and independence and getting what we want.
But maybe that’s not what good means to God.
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Maybe to God, good means becoming more like Jesus. Relying more on Jesus.
And maybe that doesn’t happen during times of prosperity. Maybe it’s during those times of discomfort, or financial struggle, or failing health, or rejection, or grief, or unmet expectations, when we take our eyes off the temporary things this world has to offer and draw nearer to Him.
Let’s Talk:What do you think God means by “good”? Have you grown closer to the Lord because of hard times?
Good is forcing us to grow spiritually, to remember that this world means nothing and that our treasures are in heaven. Good is sometimes hard, sometimes frustrating, and always more than we can understand.
Love this post.
This is precisely what my novel is about. One of my characters even quotes Romans 8:28, saying. "I believe it's true, but I need You to show me how."
I've prayed that myself countless times–struggling with my husband's chronic illness, our infertility and then finally getting pregnant only to have it be ectopic.
In all of these things, I've never doubted God's goodness. I've seen His faithfulness. And I wanted to show it to other people through my writing. He is good, and every trial is for my good–to sanctify me, to make me more like Him.
Sadly, in the midst of all of it, I started to believe that maybe my sanctification was ALL he was after. I expected pain, but not joy (at least not the kind that I didn't have to work for outside of my circumstances). But lately, in His faithfulness, He's been showing me that He's after my joy as well.
He is FOR me, and that is a humbling truth I pray I never get over.
I often think I shouldn't even attempt to consider what God really means by things because it'll be incomprehensible to me I'm sure. I just keep praying that somehow I stumble in His chosen direction.
this brings to mind one of my favorite verses: consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds. i've actually written an article on my site about it, but the problem we have with this verse is the definition of "joy." God never said that his definition was the same as ours…it's our expectations (that when dashed) leave us grappling with God's justice or goodwill toward men. i wish i could say it's just semantics, but it's more than that. But that IS one of the problems. Great thought-provoking post.
My pastors always remind us to keep Romans 8:28 together with 8:29, which talks about it all working together…and here's the clincher in verse 29…to conform us or turn us more like Christ. As you know from my post today, the benefits of this conformation are easily lost on simple-minded people like myself. Especially when I'm p***ed or depressed about "all things." But His promises are true. And eventually He brings me to a place where I can see at least a smidgen of the good. Thanks for this precious post, KAtie! You bless my socks off!
Amen, Catherine!
Suffering happens. I've experienced some of my most significant periods of personal and spiritual growth as a direct result of going through the valleys. My characters often do the same.
This is what it's all about, my friend. If we knew everything, understood everything and could explain everything about God, well we probably wouldn't need him. Wouldn't want to spend time with him, asking him the tough stuff. Even when we don't get answers, what we do get is sometimes worth so much more. Like this community right here on your page. Reading Lyndsay's post was it for me. I could have written that. Very similar story. My mom had a stroke when I was 17. You want to talk about asking questions, railing at God and flat out ignoring him? Been there, done that. And he let me go off and do my own thing. Let me for the next oh, thirteen years or so. I was talking the talk but I sure wasn't walking the walk. Sometimes it does take grief, the kind that brings us to our knees, to force us to look up. We need it. There is only one kind of Comforter for that gut-wrenching, all-encompassing and seemingly never-ending grief that sometimes hits us out of nowhere without warning. His name is Jesus.
Sometimes I've allowed suffering to draw me closer to God.
Sometimes.
Other times … well, I've walked away from God instead of leaning into him, allowing him to be my refuge and my strength.
It was my choice, not his.
And, yeah, that word "good?"
That's where I trip up the most when I read that verse …
People who quote Bible verses at you when you're suffering should be . . . I was going to say shot, or something violent like that, but of course I don't really want that to happen. What is up with people who can't listen and help people in pain, but instead insert helpful truths? True story: I fell out of a boat when I was a 14 and the boat drifted away with my equally young friend in it. I was treading water, knowing I was too far to swim to shore, and 3 boats went past w/o helping me. One man said–I'll never forget it, or his fat face–"Hope you get out okay." And then he didn't stop. Yes, somebody finally did help me. And, yes, God's word is comforting at the right place and time. People who are treading water can't exactly heed that advice very well, can they? Okay, that's enough of my diatribe.
Ditto Jessica!
This scripture took shape in my life at the lowest time of my existance. Here I was a Christian and I committed such a horrible sin. I should have lost everything! But God in His infinite love gave me grace. Then He took that shame and gave me something supernatural.
Yes, His Word is true!
I love how you walked through this – and your wrinkly forehead. 🙂 It is absolutely through the painful times that I am drawn closer to Jesus. The more prolonged, the deeper my walk with him. Otherwise, I'd have a rabbit foot Jesus who did what I wanted with a furry rub. That's the last thing I want. In our pain, He allows us to identify with others, learn compassion, and experience empathy. Easy Jesus quotes during tough times don't go over well. But a wordless hug and tears shared in silence are remembered for a lifetime.
Lindsay – I'm officially teary-eyed! Thank you so much for sharing that testimony. I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to that song and not think of you and His faithfulness, despite our circumstances, despite our pain and grief.
Katie, great questions. Great thoughts. I've got some too.
My mom got cancer when I was 15. She struggled with it for 4 years and finally died when I was 19. During that time, I literally went through the stages of grief. I questioned whether God loved me and whether He even existed. After all, how could a good God allow this in the life of someone like my mom, who loved Him and worshiped Him with all she did? I felt like God wanted me to run to Him for comfort, and yet He was the very one who could heal her. It felt hypocritical. It felt wrong.
I remember one time, just before she died, when I made one last-ditch effort to pray for her healing. I knew she was going to die. I knew it. But I prayed my heart out, begging God, reasoning with Him that, wouldn't it glorify Him that much more if she were to suddenly be healed against all odds?
He chose not to heal her. He took her.
But you know what? 15 people accepted Christ at her funeral.
And because of what I went through, I affirmed my faith and learned the truth that Natalie Grant sings about when she says, "This is what it means to be held, how it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life, and you survive. This is what it means to be loved, and to know that the promise was when everything fails, we'd be held."
To me, good would have been keeping my mom here on earth. But we all have to die someday, so why not her? Why not then? Our real home is not this earth, so really, doesn't God's "good" mean we are given the chance to glorify Him even in the midst of horrible circumstances? That He'll teach us what it means to be held in His loving arms? If we never knew the bad, we wouldn't recognize the good: God's comforting presence.
Just my two cents. Thanks for letting me share.
I think sometimes this is hard because it calls for a level of faith and trust in God that I sometimes struggle to muster. I want to view 'good' through my own eyes and agenda.
Jessica's husband nailed it, I think. God does everything for our good and His glory, even if we can't see it all right now.
Thanks so much for chiming in, Barb! Catching those nuances is so important. Thanks for pointing this out. Like Kristy, you're welcome to write a book on my blog anytime you want!
Wendy – that was a lovely example of a mixed metaphor!
It's often I've grown the closest to Him in those times.
However, it pisses the crud out of me (I'm not sure those two accurately go together, but we'll ignore that for now) when well-meaning people shoot verses out when they are nervous or uncomfortable or they feel it's something they should say.
I've had a load of strange verses quoted at ill-fitting times. Can you tell? 😉
Suffering is just that and we'll never understand fully why. Getting to that point has done wonders to free me.
~ Wendy
I agree about the context as Olivia said, and when a verse confuses me (as this one always has), I also search multiple translations to compare and contrast. In the process of doing so, I've learned something interesting… The way most translations write this verse is misleading. If you look at a literal translation (from either the Septuagint or other online interlinear sources) it says:
"We know that to those who love the God, all things work together for good–to those being invited according to a purpose"
It's a subtle difference, but the impact of the literal meaning is huge. Rather than "God works for the good of those who love him" which sounds like God only works for the good of Christians, what I believe it's saying is: to those who love God (Christians who know and trust in God's sovereignty), we understand that all things (including suffering) will eventually work together for good, not only for us, but for all of the creation. It ties into Romans 8:19 quite nicely:
"For the anxious longing of *the creation* waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."
If we have been called according to God's purpose, we understand, perhaps better than those who aren't yet called, that this life's sufferings will be nothing compared to the glory that will one day be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
Sorry for the book (like Kristy K.), but I think this is something that is noteworthy.
Olivia – beautiful, beautiful truth! Thanks for sharing that this morning.
Kristy – no apology necessary!!! What an amazing story! It's impossible to see how God is working when we're in the midst of our pain. What a beautiful picture you paint of your family worshiping God together, despite the distance.
Katie,
This is my life's verse right now. My family wasn't following God when my brother died three years ago. I remember reading that verse and thinking, "There is no way God can work this for good because they are so far from Him right now." Let me tell you… my parents and two other brothers have all come back to go through my brother Josh's death. One after another. As someone who has tried to stay close to God my whole life, even I gave up hope on any of them ever returning to Him. But they have and it's amazing.
When we're singing at church on Sundays, I like to imagine my parents and youngest brother singing at their church, my other brother singing in the Chapel in Iraq where he's stationed with the Army and my brother Josh singing with Jesus…. we're separated by distance, but all together, worshiping our God.
Sorry, I've written a book, which is probably okay here :).
We tend to pull out that verse and repeat it, but the greatest meaning comes from reading it in context. God is all about the work of redemption—reconciling all things to himself. What thread of redemption can we look for in the middle of suffering? It helps me to know that Jesus suffered, and even knew the agony of unanswered prayer when he felt his cup was too much to bear. It helps me to know that the whole world groans and yearns for the day of redemption, so our suffering is part of crying out to God on a much larger scale.
I didn't really finish my thought. Sorry. I pray that this verse reaches this couple eventually. That their hindsight is a soothing place of tranquility.
I must say, this verse was/is difficult for me at time, too. I especially find it hard to express to others who might be in a lesser place, spiritually speaking. Lately, I have found it terribly difficult to express this verse to a woman who is in unbearable, chronic pain. She can't see through her dark tunnel to the light. It's also terribly difficult to express to her caregiver, who loves her dearly and can't stand to watch the kind of pain she's in.
My husband taught one night to our college kids and he said, "God's going to do whatever bring Him the most glory. And if that means leaving you in a wheelchair instead of healing you, then He'll leave you in the wheelchair."
We don't always see that glory on this side. Just this past May our very best friends lost their son in a car accident, after a tire blew. He'd just graduated high school, was a week away from a missions trip to Japan, and had a full scholarship to a great college.
Truth is, I can't say I've seen enough glory come out of it to justify it, so I guess I'll wait till I see things in full and not dimly. But in all of it, I know God is good.
Great post, Katie. 🙂
Wow, you and I must've been on a "define" it kick. lol
I'm exactly with you, that what God means by good might be different than what we do. And it seems to me that hard times either break a person or mold them into something beautiful.
Love the pic! Looks like your title. 😉