“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”–Romans 8:28–30
Evangelist R. A. Torrey said, “Romans 8:28 is a soft pillow for a tired heart.” He was pointing out that when things go wrong, we can find rest in the wonderful truth that God still has a plan for our lives and has promised to make every pain, hardship, and loss work together for good. Nothing takes God by surprise, and nothing undermines His power to bring about His purposes in the lives of those who love Him. While God certainly is not the cause of evil, He is able to use even the most difficult and demanding circumstances of life to work out His ultimate plan—that we become like His Son Jesus Christ.
The great hymn writer Fanny Crosby lost her sight when she was just six weeks old because of a doctor’s error in treating her. Years later she said, “I have heard that this physician never ceased expressing his regret at the occurrence, and that it was one of the sorrows of his life. But if I could meet him now, I would say, ‘Thank you, thank you’—over and over again—‘for making me blind’…although it may have been a blunder on the physician’s part, it was no mistake of God’s.”
The trials of life are meant to accomplish a purpose. God is constantly working on us, molding us into people who are more and more like Jesus. Often that process requires difficulty. The challenge for us is to not lose sight of the end while we are in the midst of the struggle. God never fails, and He will continue to work until His purpose is achieved.
