Romans 8:28 – The Good News of Bad News

We are known as an optimistic family. We reinforced optimism in our children with “You are champions. You can do anything if you set your heart and mind to it. “I can’t” not accepted in this house! With God all things are possible.” We purposely spoke: “God is good — all the time” regardless of sunshine or rain, joy or sorrow, win or defeat.

In spite of that faith walking and talking, there are still times when we could use a powerful shot of an energy drink to help us keep holding on to the end-of-the-rope a little longer. So here, let me offer you an energy drink from the Springs of Living Water found in God’s Word: “We know that God causes everything to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28).

Looking back at my own life — every defeat, every pain, every disappointment, every situation (and there have been plenty of each of those times in my life), I can look back and see how EVERY time — eventual good came out of the struggles. I found out that God is always actively working to bring good out of whatever happens in our lives.

That Romans 8:28 scripture isn’t saying that every event in our life will BE GOOD. And, it isn’t saying we can live any way we choose, and God will fix our messes. We can’t just quote the part of the verse like: “We know that all things God works for the good…..” and skip the rest.

Romans 8:28 is a promise for believers. Real believers. This verse ends with: “to those who love God and are doing their best to obey His commands.”

Romans 8:28 doesn’t say all things ARE good. No matter how rose-colored our glasses are, there’s nothing good about cancer, sex trafficking, or seeing innocent people killed. But it does say that that God is more powerful than the devices of the enemy and He is able to redeem and restore anything for our good and His glory. All things may not be good, but God can and will use all things FOR good.

Everything that concerns us is like making a cake. We may not like the taste of the baking powder or the flour, but when it’s all put together with the rest of the ingredients, we can hardly wait for the finished product. God wants to bake an amazingly tasty cake with our lives, and He wants to use even the distasteful and bitter ingredients to do it.

God also doesn’t say that everything works together like we want it to, or every story will have a happy ending. The reality is not every business decision will make us a million dollars. Not every couple that gets married will live happily ever after. Not every child will become a star athlete.

Instead, Romans 8:28 reminds us that we can have absolute confidence that our Master Chef and Designer causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God. (BTW, this promise is for “those who love God,” not for those who don’t.)

From our vantage point, life looks like a mess at times. But God’s view is the finished cake — so tasty, so good. We can’t even imagine the good that God has in store for our future. Our future is in God’s hands — and there’s no better place for it to be.

Now, let’s enjoy a slice of that good, good chocolate cake!