What Are the “All Things”?
What Are the “All Things”?
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him … (Romans 8:28).
You’ve seen it stitched in needlepoint on living room walls and over fireplaces. You’ve seen it inscribed on little magnets on refrigerator doors. It shows up now and then on key rings—and I’ve even noticed it hand-embroidered on a Teddy bear. You’ve probably memorized it in a couple of different translations.
Could it be we take Romans 8:28 for granted because it’s so familiar?
I happened to be looking at the verse the other day when a question I’d never considered popped into my mind. I found myself wondering, What did the apostle Paul have in mind when he wrote ALL things work together for good? What did he mean by ALL? What things could he have been thinking about?
As I read on from Romans 8:28, I came across some surprising answers to those queries. Toward the end of the chapter, Paul seems to define what kind of “things” he is talking about.
The list isn’t very pretty. It’s not the kind of stuff you’d cross-stitch for your wall or embroider on a Teddy bear’s tummy.
He starts with the word “trouble,” and moves on from there to “hardship.” After these, he pencils in “persecution,” “famine,” “nakedness,” “danger,” and “the sword.”
Quite a list. And these are the things he believed God fit together for good in his life! He endured, confident that no amount of trouble or hardship could separate him from the love of God.
Somehow I can’t picture Paul looking at the words of Romans 8:28 with a “ho-hum-I’ve-heard-it-all-before” attitude. I can’t conceive of him becoming casual or nonchalant about such a wonderful truth. I get the distinct impression that items like nakedness, danger, and the sword kept him on his toes, kept him close to God.
What are the “all things” in your life today? What list could you come up with? No, “famine” might not lead your list. I’m guessing that “nakedness” or “the sword” might not crop up, either. It might not even include persecution. But you still have a list—and one as heartfelt to you as Paul’s was to him.
Can you thank God for working all the circumstances and events of your life together for good?
Can you grasp the fact that today’s list of troubles can never separate you from the love of God? Nor tomorrow’s or tomorrow’s or tomorrow’s?
Don’t let Romans 8:28 become like an old, worn pair of slippers. Don’t shuffle through life with it. Don’t let the truth of God’s sovereign dealings in the lives of His children become some detached, abstract fact of life. Every time you encounter a new setback, struggle, or obstacle in your life, Romans 8:28 can bloom with new meaning.
It’s as new as tomorrow’s sunrise, and as fresh as your next hardship.