“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” (Romans 8:28).
God didn’t stop working in your life last year when you forgot to pray, or during your pregnancy when you lost the baby, or last week when you were let go from work.
God didn’t stop working in your life when you couldn’t afford to retire, when your mom died, or when COVID changed your life.
There are no gaps here
“All things.” No fine print exclusions. God doesn’t stop working when you let him down or when you look for worldly hope. God doesn’t stop working when you feel guilty or start giving up.
God is working on good days and bad days. God is working in health and in illness. God is working in prosperity and in pain. God is working on Sundays and on Tuesdays. God is working in church and at the laundromat.
General and special providence
Certainly we rejoice in God’s general kind of work when he wakes up the sun every day and watches sparrows. That is God’s general providence, and that’s enough to boost our faith.
Better yet is his special, saving work for “those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Part of God’s saving work is calling you – to be saved, to belong to him, to believe in him, to live under him in his kingdom here and hereafter.
God actually was working to call you long before he engineered thermodynamics or decided to make grass green. Before you were born, even before the world was born, God was working for you. So do you think he’d let you down now?
Good
God has only one result in mind for his work in your “all things.” Good. He doesn’t say exactly how. He doesn’t say exactly when. Think of your worst trouble right now. God is working in it, and he’ll make it good.
Equipped by God’s promise today, you can do a whole lot of good for others, too. Encourage someone today that God is always at work, and promises for those who trust him that he will make all things work for the good.
PRAYER: Dear gracious God, you promise that you are working in all things for my good. Thank you for your general care in this world, and your special care for believers. Lift my vision to see past the limitations around me, and appreciate your work in all things for my good. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Read Romans 8:28-39. Choose three promises in this section that resonate with you. Restate them in your own words. Write down your words, and keep them in front of you through the week.