Twenty-Five PromisesRomans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
In Romans 8 the apostle Paul is describing the ministry of the Holy Spirit, specifically that He alone can set us free from the law of sin and death that is at work in our bodies. For, he says, the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). As a result of the Spirit’s work we are heirs of Christ and along with all creation we look forward to the completion of Christ’s redemptive work (Romans 8:18-25). But for now, along with all creation, we groan under the burden of the fall, and God gives us the gift of the Spirit who helps us to cry out to God even in our wordless prayers and sighs.
It is in this context that Paul reminds his readers that God is working all things out for good. We have not yet received all that we have hoped for: God’s work of redeeming his creation and making all things new is not yet done. But we can have confidence both from Scripture and from the Holy Spirit that God is working out everything for our good because he is working everything out toward that good end.
This doesn’t mean that everything in our lives will seem good or be easy, but that everything in our lives is part of God’s preparation for that ultimate good which he has been preparing for us from before the foundation of the world. Paul goes on to say (Romans 8:29-30) “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
One of our favorite vacation spots is Ridgway, Colorado. There is a little church in that town that we’ve attended on several vacations, including one year on the 4th of July. They had a picnic in the wonderful little town park, and a gospel group featuring Debra Rowe sang this song, which has always stuck in my memory: Workin For My Good (audio only).
