God is Good (part I)
Eric Alexander writes of telling a friend who was hurriedly leaving, “Do remember that Romans 8:28 will always be true.” He then reflects on this.
I hope our friend did read Romans 8:28 before that day was done. We lost contact, but I do want to tell you what he might have discovered from that verse. It reads, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
First, God is personally at work for us. You must have heard the secular version of this conviction, which has absolutely nothing to do with God, the Bible, or Christianity. It is usually expressed like this: “Don’t worry; everything will work out alright, you’ll see.” That is human optimism, founded on nothing but wishful thinking. Paul’s conviction, on the other hand, is founded on the character of God as a loving Father who cares for us and on His personal government over every detail of our lives (see v. 32).
Second, God is ceaselessly at work for us. We know this from the tense of the verb Paul uses. It is the present tense, which implies an unceasing action. That means God is working out His purposes for us whether we are spiritually dry or spiritually refreshed. He never gives up. As A.W. Tozer put it, “Our heavenly Father . . . does not keep office hours, nor set aside a time when he will see no one. God never changes His moods, or cools off in His affections, or loses enthusiasm.”
Third, God is universally at work for us and in us. Notice that Paul says “in all things.” That means that nothing is excluded from the personal government of God over what happens to us. It includes the bitterest as well as the sweetest of experiences. It includes the sinful acts of others, as Joseph states in Genesis 50:20: “You intended it for evil to me, but God meant it for good.” John Calvin said, tellingly, “Whatever poison Satan produces, God turns it into medicine for His elect.” Spurgeon said, “Omnipotence has servants everywhere.”
As you worship the Lord God today will you focus on God’s gracious work in your life.