Truly Good

September 9

One assertion in the Bible that we perhaps have most difficulty understanding fully is that found in Romans 8:28, which 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." Because we have such an earth-bound mindset, it is difficult for us to appropriate that truth.

Of course, it’s easy to grasp when we have a brief bout of discomfiture that the Lord speedily turns around for good. We can apply it to the problems we’ve dealt with and overcome. But what about the challenges we’ve faced that weighed us down? What about the problems we’ve endured that had no solution?

What about the people who have died in spite of our prayers? What about the world conflict that unsettles our tranquility in spite of our prayers for peace? What about the natural disasters that rock our world with regularity? Yes, even in the face of all these calamities, we must believe that the Lord is working for our good! How can this be?

Perhaps one aspect of the answer, which I do not presume to know in its entirety, might be that God’s definition of ‘good’ is not the same as ours. Perhaps it is because He, with every challenge we face, with every trial we go through, is drawing us closer to Jesus and that in being near Him, we appropriate that which is truly good in His eyes.