Romans 8:28 - All Things Work Together for Good To…

And we know that all things
work together for good
to them that love God
Rom 8:28 (KJV)

A promise only for those who love God. The good is conformity to Christ (v.
29). [Ryrie SB]

The sovereign God works through all things to bring good to His people.
[Disciple SB]

This verse does not say that everything that happens is good. God is a
faithful heavenly Father who, because He is both omniscient and omnipotent,
is able to cause even unfortunate happenings to work for good to those who
love the Lord. [Believer's SB]

The verse doesn't say that everything that happens to us is good. There's
far too much pain in the world for that to be true. What Paul said was that
God is at work in all things. He redeems even our suffering, using it to do
us good. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]

God never promises that we will like the "all things" that happen in our
lives. But He does promise that, in His supervision, God will permit nothing
to touch those who love Him that cannot be beneficial or useful in their
lives. [Victor Bible Background Commentary]

Either directly or indirectly, every providence has a tendency to the
spiritual good of those that love God, breaking them off from sin, bringing
them nearer to God, weaning them from the world, fitting them for heaven.
(Matthew Henry's Commentary)

God works in "all things"--not just isolated incidents--for our good. This
does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our
fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our
long-range good. Note that God is not working to make us happy, but to
fulfill his purpose. Note also that this promise is not for everybody. It
can be claimed only by those who love God and are called according to his
purpose. Those who are "called" are those the Holy Spirit convinces and
enables to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new
mind-set on life. They trust in God, not life's treasures; they look for
their security in heaven, not on earth; they learn to accept, not resent,
pain and persecution because God is with them.  [Life Application SB]

Without trial we should not feel so much our need of God and His help; and
we should become proud and self-sufficient. 8T123,4

The Lord designs that His people shall be happy, and He opens before us one
source of consolation after another, that we may be filled with joy and
peace in the midst of our present experience. We are not to wait until we
shall get into heaven for brightness and comfort and joy. We are to have
them right here in this life. . . . We miss very much because we do not
grasp the blessings that may be ours in our afflictions. All our sufferings
and sorrows, all our temptations and trials, all our sadness and griefs, all
our persecutions and privations, and in short all things, work together for
our good. . . . All experiences and circumstances are God's workmen whereby
good is brought to us. Let us look at the light behind the cloud. Our
happiness comes not from what is around us, but from what is within us; not
from what we have, but from what we are.  ML185

Nothing can touch the Christian except by our Lord's permission (see Job
1:12; 2:6), and all things that are permitted work together for good to
those who love God. If God permits suffering and perplexity to come upon us,
it is not to destroy us but to refine and sanctify us (see on Rom. 8:17).
The troubles and disappointments of this life take our affections from the
world and lead us to look to heaven for our home. They teach us the truth
about our frail and dying condition and cause us to rely upon God for
support and for salvation. They also produce in us a more humble and subdued
spirit, a more patient and tender disposition. This has been the experience
of God's people throughout history, and at the end of their lives they have
been able to say that it was good for them to have been so afflicted. [SDA
Commentary]

It is better we should not know our future.  If we did, we should often
spoil God's plan for our life.  If we could see into tomorrow and know the
troubles it will bring, we might be tempted to seek some way of avoiding
them, while really they are God's way to new honor and blessing.  God's
thoughts for us are always thoughts of love, good, promotion; but sometimes
the path to the hilltop lies through dark valleys or up rough paths.  Yet to
miss the hard bit of road is to fail of gaining the lofty height.  It is
better, therefore, to walk, not knowing, with God, than it would be to see
the way and choose for ourselves.  God's way for us is always better than
our own.  [J. R. Miller; Time with God devotional SB]

Dear child of God, just imagine that triumphal march! Picture the excited
children being constantly hushed and restrained by their parents from their
outbursts of wonder. Think how the women must have experienced an
uncontrollable excitement as they found themselves suddenly saved from a
fate worse than death. Imagine how the men who accompanied them must have
felt ashamed and admonished for mistrusting God and for complaining against
Moses. And as you envision the Red Sea's mighty walls of water, separated by
the outstretched hand of the Eternal in response to the faith of a single
man, learn what God will do for His own. . . . Dare to trust Him! Dare to
follow Him! Then discover that the forces that blocked your progress and
threatened your life become at His command the very, materials He uses to
build your street of freedom. F. B. Meyer [Streams in the Desert by Cowman]

Dearest child,
        Everything in your life can be used as a part of my plan for good.
Yes, even the bad things.  Even the very situation that you think is
intolerable or hopeless or unredeemable.  Trust me.  This thing,
too, will work together for your good and my glory.
        How is that possible?  It is possible because you love me, because
you have been called to walk in my ways, and you have answered yes
to that call.  Even now I am in the process of drawing good from the
bad.  I am committed to taking whatever evil comes into your life
and bringing good out of it.
        All things will work together for good.  Not just some, but all.
Even your own failures and faults and areas of sin are opportunities
for me to work.  Commit them to me.  Confess them.  Put them under
the blood of my Son.  Even these things will give you cause to
praise me.  Trust me in this.  God  [Postcards from Heaven]

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village.  Although poor, he
was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse.  Even the king
coveted his treasure.  A horse like this had never been seen before - such
was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always
refused.  "This horse is not a horse to me," he would tell them.  "It is a
person.  How could you sell a person?  He is a friend, not a possession.
How could you sell a friend?"  The man was poor and the temptation was
great.  But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable.  All the village
came to see him.  "You old fool," they scoffed, "we told you that someone
would steal your horse.  We warned you that you would be robbed.  You are so
poor.  How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal?  It would
have been better to have sold him.  You could have gotten whatever price you
wanted.  No amount would have been to high.  Now the horse is gone, and
you've been cursed with misfortune."
The old man responded, "Don't speak too quickly.  Say only that the horse is
not in the stable.  That is all we know; the rest in judgment.  If I've been
cursed or not, how can you know?  How can you judge?"
The people contested, "Don't make us out to be fools!  We may not be
philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed.  The simple fact that your
horse is gone is a curse."
The old man spoke again. "All I know is that the stable is empty, and the
horse is gone.  The rest I don't know.  Whether it be a curse or a blessing,
I can't say.  All we can see is a fragment.  Who can say what will come
next?"
The people of the village laughed.  They thought that the man was crazy.
They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn't, he would have sold the
horse and lived off the money.  But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an
old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling
it.  He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty.  Now he had proven
that he was, indeed, a fool.
After fifteen days, the horse returned.  He hadn't been stolen; he had run
away into the forest.  Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild
horses with him.  Once again the village people gathered around the
woodcutter and spoke.  "Old man, you were right and we were wrong.  What we
thought was a curse was a blessing.  Please forgive us."
The man responded, "Once again, you go too far.  Say only that the horse is
back.  State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don't judge.
How do you know if this is a blessing or not?  You see only a fragment.
Unless you know the whole story, now can you judge?  You read only one page
of a book.  Can you judge the whole book?  You read only one word of a
phrase.  Can you understand the entire phrase?
"Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word.  All
you have is a fragment!  Don't say that this is a blessing.  No one knows.
I am content with what I know.  I am not perturbed by what I don't."
"Maybe the old man is right," they said to one another.  So they said
little.  But down deep, they knew he was wrong.  They knew it was a
blessing.  Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse.  With a little
bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much
money.
The old man had a son, an only son.  The young man began to break the wild
horses.  After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both
legs.  Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their
judgments.
"You were right," they said.  "You proved you were right.  The dozen horses
were not a blessing.  They were a curse.  Your only son has broken his legs,
and now in your old age you have no one to help you.  Now you are poorer
than ever.
The old man spoke again.  "You people are obsessed with judging.  Don't go
so far.  Say only that my son broke his legs.  Who knows if it is a blessing
or a curse?  No one knows.  We only have a fragment.  Life comes in
fragments."
It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a
neighboring country.  All the young men of the village were required to join
the army.  Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured.
 Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming
because their sons had been taken.  There was little chance that they would
return.  The enemy was strong and the war would be a losing struggle.  They
would never see their sons again.
"You were right, old man," they wept.  "God knows you were right.  This
proves it.  Your son's accident was a blessing.  His legs may be broken, but
at least he is with you.  Our sons are gone forever."
The old man spoke again.  "It is impossible to talk with you.  You always
draw conclusions.  No one knows.  Say only this: Your sons had to go to war,
and mine did not.  No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse.  No one is
wise enough to know.  Only God knows."  [In the Eye of the Storm by Max
Lucado.]

If God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that
could befall to me if God ordains it. [Morning and Evening by Charles H.
Spurgeon]

The Cross of Christ was the greatest evil that God turned into the greatest
good of all time.  [Pastor Mark Finley]

God is for us and not against us. The proof is that He gave His very best on
the cross. Surely He will freely give us anything else we need. [Wiersbe
Expository Outlines]

Hope is defined as faith that all circumstances work to deepen our
relationship with Christ and reconfirm our salvation. [Disciple SB]