Romans 8:28 NLT “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.”
God can use everything to accomplish His good purposes.
a. The story of a man born blind John 9:2, 3 NLT tell us, “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins? It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”
Jesus was always looking for opportunities to work in hopeless situations. This man’s hopeless condition of blindness was an opportunity for the power of God to be displayed. Hopeless situations create opportunities for the power of God. They create opportunities for Romans 8:28 to become reality. When God comes through in an apparent impossible situation, everyone sees it. It’s very obvious.
God does have a flare for the dramatic. He does like to set the stage and then come through in the last minute. Sometimes, He purposely waits until all hope is gone! Sometimes this just drives us crazy, but God still looks to work in hopeless situations. What hopeless situation are you experiencing where only God can make a difference? If you are facing one of these, know also that your response during these times is also important.
b. In John 9, the man still had to be obedient. He had to go to a certain pool and wash off the mud. He could have refused, thought it was stupid, or just got mad like some Christians do when God asks them to do something out of their comfort zone. That's why Romans 8:28 is one of the most misunderstood passages. It is a conditional promise not an unconditional promise. All things do not work together for good for everybody. This is only true for those who love God and walk in obedience to His purposes for their lives. Our response is crucial to whatever dilemma we face. We need to understand and trust that God is always doing more than we can see or comprehend. Our response is to continue loving God in the darkness of these times, trust in His good purposes despite what we can see, and to believe that even though the situation
is not good, God is good and His plans for me are still good.
This type of a response is not easy, and truthfully, it is more of a process for most people than an immediate response. Sometimes we do have to grieve, cry, and feel the pain of our wounds that result from losing hope. Yet in these times, we come back to God in our brokenness, give Him our despair, and trust that He will eventually take even the darkness and do something good on our behalf with it. This response unleashes the power of God into our lives and into our situations.
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