Everything

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. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:28-29

PERHAPS THE HARDEST WORD to swallow in Romans 8:28 is the word everything. That means not one thing falls outside of this promise. It is the “everything” in this verse that is both a stumbling block and a blessed solace. In his sovereignty, God is committed and able to use even the worst things we can imagine for our ultimate good and for the ultimate good of our child.

But perhaps that’s where the rub comes most profoundly. As hard as it can be to believe that God can and will cause everything to work together for the good in our own lives because we belong to him, it can be much harder to believe this for our children. When we see hurts and hardship take their toll in our children’s lives, it can be so terribly difficult to rest in God’s promise, believing that he will use this struggle to cause them to become more like Christ. We want to be able to see a specific “good thing” come from the hard thing before we are willing to believe it is true.

Without some evidence, we are prone to stew in worry and perhaps give in to despair. But taking hold of this truth and promise keeps us focused on God’s purpose in our children’s lives —which is to make them more and more like Jesus. Grabbing hold of this purpose requires that we let go of our desires for a comfortable life for our children. But it enables us to embrace a life of purpose and meaning even when that includes pain.

Lord, either everything works for good, or nothing makes sense. I believe, but help my unbelief. Give me a deep and undergirding confidence that you can and will cause everything to work together for the good of anyone who belongs to you. Your sovereignty over these hard things can be difficult to accept, but it is also my greatest source of comfort.