Romans 8:28 - Triumph in Tragedy.
Romans 8:28 (NIV) 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 (CWR) We know that God will make
all things work out for our eventual good, as
long as we trust Him and remain true to the
purpose for which He called us.
INTRODUCTION
What does this verse promise us? In how
many things? All things! Does all things include
the good things? Yes! Does all things include
the bad things? Yes! Does all things include
things you are glad happened? Yes! Does all things
include things you wish had never happened? Yes! In
all things, God works for the good.
So here's another question: Does this
verse apply to everybody? Actually, no. This verse
makes it really clear that God works in all things
to bring about good for those who love him, and
who have been called according to his purpose.
The good news is, you love him. I know
you do or you wouldn't be reading a devotion all
the way to August tenth!
Because you are in Christ, you are a
masterpiece created for the Master's purpose. He is the
Potter. You are the clay. He's working all things
for your good. Whatever you are going through
today, thank God that he already knew it would
happen and that he will use it to shape you into
who he wants you to become.
Nothing is wasted with God.
I love you, Lord, and I will serve you
even when I experience life's losses and daily
disappointments. [Daily Power by Craig Groeschel]
COMMENTARY
Without doubt, Romans 8:28 is one of the
greatest verses in the Bible. It is one that is
claimed quite often by believers, especially during
times of hardship. And so it should be.
But let's make sure we meet the criteria
of the text: "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"
(emphasis added). Do you love God? Are you the called
according to His purpose? Romans 8:28 does not apply
to you if this isn't true of you.
There are times in our lives when things
seem to be falling apart, when they don't make
any sense. Some people will say, "It is the
fickle finger of fate." Or, Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be will be. The future's not ours to
see."
True, the future is not ours to see. But
the Christian can be confident that God is in
control and has a master plan for his or her life.
We can know that we serve a sovereign God who
is good. As I have often said, we may not know
what the future holds, but we know who holds the
future.
The word used here for good does not
necessarily mean that the event in and of itself is
good, but that its long-term effect will be useful
and helpful. It is hard for us to imagine
certain things working for good. The Bible isn't
saying tragedy is good. Rather, it is saying that
God can take a horrible thing and make good come
as a result of it. [Every Day with Jesus by
Greg Laurie]
The Lyre Pine
I want to share with you the lessons
taught me by a radiant Christian woman on how to
overcome frustration. In case of doubt, let me make
clear that the woman concerned was not a
thick-skinned individual who cared for nothing and nobody,
but rather a highly sensitive person who knew
how to turn every test into a testimony.
Here is her prescription for overcoming
frustration.
First, realize that Christians aren't
exempt from facing problems. It is true that
Christians are exempted from many self-inflicted pains
which non-Christians bring on themselves through
wrong attitudes, wrong moral choices, wrong
behavior, and so on. But apart from this, every
Christian is as subject as a non-Christian to
accidents, sickness, and even death. Some years ago a
plane full of non-Christian Indian seamen crashed
into the Alps; a few days later, fifty-eight
Christians, fresh from a conference, crashed in the same
Alps.
Secondly, fix in your mind that the
Christian answer is along the line of using whatever
comes - justice or injustice, pain or pleasure,
compliment or criticism. Ever heard of a lyre pine? The
lyre pine is a pine tree whose top is shaped like
a harp, with a number of branches forming the
top, instead of one straight branch. It is
produced, they say, by a calamity such as a storm or a
lightning flash striking off the original top.
Frustrated, it then puts up a whole series of tops
stretched on a more or less horizontal bar. This, too,
can happen to us - if we let it. Calamity can
turn dullness into music, a lone top into a lyre.
Father, let this truth sink deeply into
my spirit so that I will be able to turn all my
lone tops into lyres. Quicken within me today the
sense that with You, I can overcome everything "
including frustration. Amen. [Every Day With Jesus
Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional re Psalm
38:10-11]
ILLUSTRATIONS
My friend Chris was diagnosed with
mononucleosis when he was nine years old. The doctor
ordered him to stay indoors for the entire summer.
Chris was a rambunctious kid. A summer indoors
with no Little League, fishing trips, or bike
rides? Might as well trap an eagle in a birdcage.
Chris's dad, however, resolved to find
something good in the quarantine. He sold guitars in
his drugstore and wasn't a half-bad guitarist
himself. So he gave Chris a guitar. Each morning he
taught his son a new chord or technique. Turns out,
Chris had a knack for playing the guitar. By the
end of the summer, Chris was beginning to write
some songs of his own.
Within a few decades he was regarded as
the "most sung songwriter in the world." Perhaps
you've heard some of his music: "How Great Is Our
God," "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)," "At
the Cross."
I can't help but think that Jesus was
praying for nine-year-old Chris Tomlin. What Satan
intends for evil, Jesus will use for good. [You Can
Count On God by Max Lucado re John 16:33b]
Treasures in the Darkness
My friend, David, lives on the edge. He's
a quadriplegic, his wife left him after the
car accident, he survives on government
benefits, and lives alone in a little apartment
downtown. After getting up in the morning, he more or
less fends for himself after his part time
attendant leaves. Despite all his struggles, David
always orders the public access van on Saturday
evening so that he can come to our church for Sunday
services.
"Who helps you with dinner?" I asked him
once. David explained that he usually powers his
wheelchair over to the Pizza Hut for dinner. "The Lord
always provides someone to help," he laughed.
"Sometimes it's one of the waiters on break. Or a
stranger having dinner who offers to help. I can feed
myself," he said proudly. "I just need someone to
place the pizza in the curve of my hand just so.
But Joni, I'll tell you something. All this
helps me to depend on the Lord. I mean... I depend
on him."
David inspires me because he's not afraid
to live on the edge. Somehow, he finds light in
the darkness and hope in the midst of
helplessness. And God has revealed to him the preciousness
of Isaiah 45:3, where the Lord promises, "I
will give you the treasures of darkness, riches
stored in secret places so that you may know I am
the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by
name." Oh, how wealthy are the people who need God
desperately; whose treasure in the darkness is a deeper
knowledge of him.
In the midst of your own darkness, there
is treasure, and riches that could never be
discovered in the light of ease and peace. Needing God
desperately will always make you wealthy.
Lord Jesus, you left the rainbow radiance
of heaven to taste darkness and death for me...
and bring me home to your Father's house. And
even now, in the worst of times and deepest of
sorrows, you have become my treasure and my hope.
[Joni Eareckson Tada Daily Devotional:
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional re Daniel 2:22]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Let Me help you get through this day. There
are many possible paths to travel between your
getting up in the morning and your lying down at
night. Stay alert to the many choice-points along
the way, being continually aware of My Presence.
You will get through this day one way or the
other. One way is to moan and groan, stumbling
along with shuffling feet. This will get you to
the end of the day eventually, but there is a
better way. You can choose to walk with Me along
the path of Peace, leaning on Me as much as you
need. There will still be difficulties along the
way, but you can face them confidently in My
strength. Thank Me for what I do to transform trials
into blessings. (Mat. 6:33-34; Rom. 8:28; Isa.
26:3) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young mod.]
As you listen to birds calling to one
another, hear also My Love-call to you. I speak to
you continually: through sights, sounds,
thoughts, impressions, scriptures. There is no limit
to the variety of ways I can communicate with
you. Your part is to be attentive to My messages,
in whatever form they come. When you set out to
find Me in a day, you discover that the world is
vibrantly alive with My Presence. You can find Me not
only in beauty and birdcalls, but also in tragedy
and faces filled with grief. I can take the
deepest sorrow and weave it into a pattern for good.
Search for Me and My messages, as you go
through this day. You will seek Me and find Me when
you seek Me with your whole being. (John 10:27;
Rom. 8:28; Jer. 29:13) [Jesus Calling by Sarah
Young]
I am taking care of you. Feel the warmth
and security of being enveloped in My loving
Presence. Every detail of your life is under My
control. Moreover, everything fits into a pattern for
good, to those who love Me and are called
according to My design and purpose.
Because the world is in an abnormal,
fallen condition, people tend to think that chance
governs the universe. Events may seem to occur
randomly, with little or no meaning. People who view
the world this way have overlooked one basic
fact: the limitations of human understanding. What
you know of the world you inhabit is only the
tip of the iceberg. Submerged beneath the
surface of the visible world are mysteries too vast
for you to comprehend. If you could only see how
close I am to you and how constantly I work on
your behalf, you would never again doubt that I
am wonderfully caring for you. This is why you
must live by faith, not by sight; trusting in My
mysterious, majestic Presence. (Rom. 8:28; Job 42:1-3;
1Pe. 5:7; 2Co. 5:7) [Jesus Calling by Sarah
Young]
If you have a problem that comes and goes
over a long period of time, you may start
dreading its recurrence. This reaction only makes
matters worse. When the painful situation returns,
you tend to feel tense and defeated. You begin
to judge each day that this circumstance is
present as a bad day. This is a hurtful, negative
focus.
Let Me suggest a better way: When the
problem is absent or minimal, rejoice and thank Me
continually - as often as you can remember. If the
problem is present, look to Me and affirm your trust
in Me. Ask My Spirit to help you persevere and
keep your focus on Me. In doing so, you connect a
positive thing - trusting Me - with something you
previously considered quite negative.
If you do this consistently, you will
find you are in a win-win situation. More
importantly, you will no longer be letting your
circumstances dictate the quality of your life. Rejoice
and be glad-hearted continually. Be unceasing in
prayer - praying perseveringly. Thank Me in
everything - no matter what the circumstances may be.
(Rom. 12:12; 1Th. 5:16-18; Psa. 143:8) [Jesus
Today by Sarah Young]
I am your Joy! Let these words
reverberate in your mind and sink into your innermost
being. I - your Companion who will never leave you
- am a boundless source of Joy. If you really
believe this, you can rest in the truth that every
day of your life is a good day. So refuse to use
the label "a bad day," even when you're
struggling deeply. Your circumstances may indeed be
very hard, but I am nonetheless with you, holding
you by your right hand. There is good to be
found in this day - and every day - because of My
constant Presence and steadfast Love.
You may not be rich by worldly standards,
but My unfailing Love is priceless! This Love
guarantees that you can find refuge in the shadow of My
wings no matter what is happening. Also, it gives
you access to My river of delights. When your
world feels anything but delightful, turn to Me
and drink deeply from this ravishing river: My
loving Presence. I am your Joy! (Deu. 31:8; Psa.
73:23; 36:7, 8) [Jesus Always by Sarah Young]
Receive My glory-strength. When ongoing
problems require you to stick it out over the long
haul, beware of responding by grimly gritting your
teeth - just passing time in a gloomy frame of
mind. This passive, negative attitude is not the
way I want you to approach difficulties.
I am sovereign over the circumstances of
your life, so there are always opportunities to
be found in them. Don't be like the man who hid
his master's talent in the ground because he was
disgruntled with his circumstances. He gave up and took
the easy way out, blaming his hard situation
rather than making the most of his opportunity.
Actually, the more difficult your circumstance, the
more you can gain through it.
I gladly give you Glory-strength. It is
exceedingly potent because the Spirit Himself empowers
you - strengthening you in your inner being.
Moreover, My limitless Glory-strength enables you to
keep on enduring the unendurable. Since this
Power is so vast, there is more than enough of it
to spill over in to Joy! (Col. 1:11; Isa.
40:10; Mat. 25:25; Eph. 3:16) [Jesus Always by
Sarah Young]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
In all things, all that happens to us,
God is working for our good if we love him and
are conforming our lives to his plans. God says
He will work it all for good. - even the
relapses, even the failures, even the mistakes, even
the setbacks. God says, You know what? I'll
fit that into the plan too. I will do it all for
good if you will trust me."
Maybe you've had one failure after
another in your attempts to live a healthier life.
That's okay. God can even use that.
Maybe you are genetically inclined to a
certain difficulty, or you grew up in a family that
had many challenges. God can use even these
things for good in your life if you give him all
the pieces. What is in your life that you doubt
God can turn to good?
Give God all the ups and downs you're
dealing with; he promises to use them for good. [The
Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional]
When we find ourselves in a very dark
season of life, we long for someone to put an arm
around us, assuring us that everything will be
okay. We want assurance that our world is orderly
and stable - not spinning off into chaos. We
want to know that God is at the center of our
suffering, not only holding our lives together, but
also holding us. In today's Scripture, we have
the massive promise of that assurance: "We know
that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according
to his purpose." This is true no matter what we
face in life. The robust hope of the believer is
not that we will escape hurts and sorrows, but
that God will make every one of them an
instrument of His mercy to do us good - both now and in
eternity.
Dear Lord, I really can't imagine how
people get through life without You. What would it
be like to believe that all of life is random,
without plan or purpose, leading to nothing? I'm so
grateful for You - the Way and the Truth and the Life
(John 14:6). I'm so thankful I can leave all the
tangled details of my life in Your wise and loving
hands. [A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada
and Larry Libby - a quadriplegic with a life
filled with struggles and strife turned to
miraculous testimonies of victory.]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Romans 8:28 - Triumph in Tragedy.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201120-1042.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
