Here is one of the most important truths to hold onto, to bring us hope, in times of suffering: “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him”.
Sometimes we go back over our lives and think “if only”, believing if we could change things that have happened in the past, our present would be better. God promises us something greater: that he is at work for our good in all things – both the good and the bad.
This astonishing truth lifts from our shoulders the unbearable burden that we place upon ourselves when we think that life depends upon us, and what we can do. Instead, God asks us to put our trust in him, and what he is able to do.
These verses are full of God’s activity on our behalf: God has chosen us, God has called us, God has justified us, God has glorified us. God works in all things for our good. God is shaping us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ.
These verses bring us great comfort. They remind us that God, in his wonderful grace, is able to work through even the worst things that we pass through in our lives. There is no experience of suffering that can stand in the way of the good that God wants to work in our lives.
