by Rick Warren
“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 NIV)
God has a purpose for every season of your life — the lonely seasons, the sad seasons, the seasons of success, the seasons of waiting, and the seasons of grief.
Romans 8:28 says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV). This is not a promise for everybody. All things do not work together for good for everybody in the world. They only work together for good for those who love God and trust him with their plans.
This is one of the basic truths in the Bible. If you’re a believer, nothing comes into your life that hasn’t been filtered by your heavenly Father. Your life is not a random series of freak accidents and occurrences and circumstances. God never does anything by accident. He has an appointed time for everything in your life. Even the bad times? Yes.
Don’t misunderstand me. God does not have to plan all the problems in your life. He doesn’t need to. You come up with them yourself! Bad times happen because of the bad decisions you make. And, they also happen because of bad decisions other people make, where you’re an innocent victim. God doesn’t have to plan bad things; he is not the author of evil.
But God can draw good out of each event in your life. That means every single event, no matter how dark or shameful or how guilty or bitter you feel about it, God can bring good out of it. He can work for your good.
The Bible doesn’t say all things are good. Not all things in the world are good. There’s a lot of bad. But it does say that all things work together for good for those who give God all the pieces and say, “Will you work good out of this?” God will do it. He has an appointed time for everything.
Talk It Over
- In what situation do you need to ask God to work for your good?
- What is it that keeps you from asking God for his help?