Category Archives: providence

In Sync – Romans 8:28

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“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, HCSB).

This familiar verse is probably one of the most often quoted, yet, often misunderstood verses in the Bible!

We generally quote the verse and its promise to someone who has suffered tragedy or misfortune or we claim its promise for ourselves when we personally encounter tragedy or misfortune.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is some very powerful theology embedded in this verse. It’s just that we sometimes misapply or misappropriate it to our lives!

On one hand, we interpret Romans 8:28 to mean that God does bad things to us (or allows bad things to happen to us) to drive us back into line with His will.

We were bad so God caused something bad to happen to us so we’ll start being good!

On the other hand, we interpret Romans 8:28 to mean that God will take the bad things that happen to us and turn them into good things.

The problem with these interpretations is that both views cause you to miss out on the powerful promise that’s contained in Romans 8:28.

The promise of restoration!

Both views impede what God actually wants to do in your life when you encounter adversity.

God doesn’t cause bad things to happen to us to make us obey Him nor does He change the bad things that happen to us into good things!

Bad things happen because we live in a fallen world.

When I have encountered tragedy in my life, I find that I wake up each day and the tragic event has still occurred and its residual grief, stress, frustration, or sadness is still felt deeply and the havoc that it has reaped in my life and others is still evident.

So am I being cynical and sterilizing this potent promise, this powerful theology, with cynicism?

Not at all. I’m not being cynical, I’m being a realist.

I want to show you how the wonderful promise contained in Romans 8:28 can have a transformative effect on your life when you understand God’s reality as it is explained in this verse.

After all, God really, really wants you to experience His reality. His reality, not our version of it.

The fundamental basis for forming a relationship with God is restoration. God created a perfect world. That perfect world has become imperfect; it has fallen from its original splendor because of rebellion, specifically, humanity’s rebellion against God’s plans.

God wants to restore this world and humanity from its fallen state to a perfect state. God wants to restore this world so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to live and die as a human being for it, for us.

So restoration is God’s purpose. And our redemption has always been God’s plan since before the creation of the world, and will always be His plan even to eternity.

And God not only wants to redeem and restore this world, He wants to redeem and restore you!

He redeemed you from your fallen state when you first believed in Jesus. Now, God wants to restore you everyday of your life as you struggle in this fallen world to live for Him. And He especially wants to restore you when you encounter hardship and suffering.

That’s how a relationship with God works–restoration!

But God does not restore you by removing the problem. If you think that, then you are missing the blessing of the Romans 8:28 promise.

God wants to apply the healing balm of restoration to your problems as you seek refuge from your difficulties under the protection of His love and grace.

He wants to draw you into His lovingkindness, His mercy, His redeeming love!

And He’s so mighty, so powerful, that evil and the consequences of evil are inconsequential to God.

Nothing, not even evil and the bad that it produces, can thwart God’s good purposes or prevent God’s love. So much so, that God even uses evil to accomplish His redemptive plans and purposes.

The bad of this world can never stand in the way of God’s good: “Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NLT).

Wow! God’s love is incredible, amazing, incredibly amazing!

God is almighty and, therefore, makes all things, even evil, even tragedy or misfortune, work together for His good purposes!

When bad things happen to you, God puts your life back in sync! He realigns your life for you. He restores you to His will!

So the marvelous promise of Romans 8:28 should not be stored away to be grabbed off the shelf when tragedy strikes. It’s a way of life. It’s the way we maintain a relationship with God!

God restores you. God continuously synchronizes your life with His plans and purposes when you love Him and seek His will as the way for your life.

“Whatever has been born of God conquers the world” (1 John 5:4, HCSB).

The Righteousness Test – Job 23:10-12

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“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food” (Job 23:10-12, NLT).

Did you ever sit down to take a test in school and wonder where the questions came from?

The test questions didn’t ask for any facts or information you read about in the text or discussed in class. Instead, the test questions expected you to analyze and apply the facts and information you had read or discussed.

And, you probably thought the test was unfair and maybe even complained to the teacher or at least to other students.

That is what happened to Job.

When Job’s faith was tested by God, at first Job doubted that he could plead his case to God.

In this passage Job expresses confidence that when God tests him, he can, in fact, ask God for an explanation of the test.

In reality, God wasn’t testing Job’s faith; Satan was.

But God does use the difficulties in life that confront us–emanating either from Satan or from our own mistakes–to instruct us in His holiness and righteousness and build our faith in Him.

It’s the righteousness test!

God knows where we are going in life, and the righteousness test keeps us on the path to where He wants us to go.

And when God uses our suffering to teach us about His righteousness, then like Job we will conclude: “He controls my destiny” (vs. 14).

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28, NLT).

Doing What God is Doing – Genesis 41:16

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“It is beyond my power to do this, Joseph replied. But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” Pharaoh had two dreams and no one could interpret them for him. Pharaoh’s cupbearer remembered about Joseph interpreting his dream when they were in prison together and told Pharaoh. Pharaoh had Joseph brought to him and asked if he could interpret his dreams. Joseph recognized that God had given Pharaoh the dreams for a purpose. Therefore, God could tell what Pharaoh’s dreams meant and Joseph was confident that God would do so to accomplish His will. Joseph was so filled with the Spirit and wisdom of God that it was apparent to Pharaoh and his officials: “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” (vs. 38). Because Joseph was full of God’s Spirit, he recognized that God was at work and he joined with God in what he was doing. We each have God’s Spirit in us and like Joseph, by the unction of the Spirit, we should be able to recognize what God is doing within and around our lives and we should join with Him by exercising the gifts and talents He has given to each of us. “So Jesus explained, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19).

Your Destiny, God’s Plans – I Kings 19:25

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“Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins.” Isaiah prophecied against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, at the request of Hezekiah, king of Judah. The Assyrians had already conquered Israel and its capital city of Samaria and now they were trying to conquer Judah. (They will fail in their attempt.) Sennacherib’s great mistake, however, was to imagine that what he had accomplished in all his military campaigns had been achieved in his own strength and not by the providence of God. In reality God had determined it long ago. God planned for Sennacherib to conquer fortified cities so his pride in his mighty accomplishments is only vanity. In fact, Assyria is merely the means to pronounce judgment on Israel for its disobedience. Similarly, God has determined plans and a purpose for your life–your destiny. Find out from God what it is and let Him use you to accomplish His will through your life.