One of the first passages I read when I
started to study the Bible, was Romans 8:28. There it says:
Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love
God"
Two
things I would like to point out here:
i) This passage is addressed to those who love God. If
therefore you love God it is addressed TO YOU as well.
ii) According to this passage ALL THINGS, i.e.
everything that has happened, happens or will happen, WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to
those who love Him. The phrase "work TOGETHER" implies the combined
work of more than one member. Even if one of these was missing, this
"working together" would be incomplete. In other words,
EVERYTHING in the life of a man that loves God IS NECESSARY for the good, since
it is the combined work of ALL that give it. As we read in Proverbs 12:21:
Proverbs 12:21
"There shall no evil happen to the righteous"
As the Companion Bible translates it: "Nothing in
vain shall happen to the righteous". Nothing in the life of a man that
loves God is evil, random, or vain. In contrast, EVERYTHING, even those things
that we do not accept pleasantly, is a part of God's recipe for the good. It is
not accidental that the Word says: "All that want to live godly will be
persecuted" (II Timothy 3:12) and "many are the afflictions of the
righteous" (Psalms 34:19) while at the same time states that "there shall
no evil happen" to him, thus implying that even the afflictions are NOT
evil or vain. Also, it is not accidental that it says:
Ephesians 5:20
"Giving thanks always for ALL THINGS to God even the Father in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ"
And I Thessalonians 5:18
"IN EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus concerning you"
God tells us to thank Him in EVERYTHING. We usually
thank someone for his part in something that concerns us. Many of us deny to
thank God in EVERYTHING, for the simple reason that we do not believe that God
has a part in EVERYTHING. But as His Word says:
Lamentations 3:37-38
"Who is he who
speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it?"
Even the devil cannot go beyond the boundaries that
the Lord has set. In Job 1-2 we see that he could not try Job without having a
permission, and he could not go beyond this permission. In Luke 22:31 we see
that in order to "sift [the disciples] as wheat", he had to ASK first
[Greek: "exaiteo", "to obtain by asking"1. See also NIV, The Interlinear Bible
etc.] In John we see that he could not touch Jesus because "his hour had
not yet come" (John 7:30, 8:20). In I Corinthians 10:13 we see that we
will not "be tempted beyond what we are able", not because the devil
does not want it, but because "GOD [who] is faithful will not allow
us". In Matthew 4:1 we see that it was "BY THE SPIRIT" (i.e.
God) that Jesus was led up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. When
Job said "Shall we accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10), the Scripture says
"Job did NOT sin with his lips". When he said: "The Lord gave, and the Lord
has taken away; BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD" (Job 1:21) he again spoke the truth:
"In all this JOB DID NOT SIN NOR CHARGE GOD WITH WRONG" (Job 1:22).
What Job said was RIGHT AND ACCURATE.
If you wonder why you are still unemployed, or why you
are still alone, or why you have not been healed, or why the such and such
happened, do what the righteous Job did: GLORIFY THE LORD FOR THESE. For
"ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD." What you
now may consider as infliction, it is NECESSARY FOR THE GOOD. Otherwise, be
sure you would not have it. Glorify the Lord and trust Him. THANK HIM IN ALL
THINGS. You may consider some of them as "evil" but we just saw it:
"There shall no evil happen to the righteous" and YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS
(Romans 3:21-26).
As Paul said in a similar situation:
II Corinthians 12:7-10
"And lest I should be made haughty by the abundance of the revelations, a
thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I
not be made haughty. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times
that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient
for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most
gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am
strong." (NKJV-Interlinear Bible)
Paul BOASTED in his infirmities. The reproaches, the
needs, the persecutions and the distresses were for him but opportunities
through which he saw the power of the Lord. The "thorn in the flesh",
did not come all alone. IT WAS GIVEN TO HIM, so that he not be haughty.
Certainly, that thorn was painful and he wanted to get rid of it, yet it
prevented him from haughtiness. Paul might have wondered going third time to
the Lord, why the previous two times his prayer was not answered. We may also
not understand why some of our prayers were answered immediately, while others
NOT, even though we devoted much heart and time to them. However, we are not
asked to understand BUT RATHER TO BELIEVE. To believe that since we love God,
all things work together for good. As He says:
Isaiah 55:8-9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,"
says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts"
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (NKJV-KJV)
And Romans 1:17
"The just shall live BY FAITH"
What we need to live is FAITH. We need to trust Him
and be surrendered to Him completely. It is not necessary our will to be done.
What is necessary is HIS WILL to be done, for it is much higher than ours.
We will see now some examples regarding what we just
read. To start we will go to Philippians 1:12-18. There we read:
Philippians 1:12-18
"But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to
me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,
so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest,
that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the
Lord, having become confident by my chain, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from
goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely,
supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing
that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in
every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I
rejoice, yes, and will rejoice."
Paul was in the prison. "Naturally" speaking
one would expect that his time there would be unproductive for the gospel. But
see what he says: "the things which happened to me have actually turned
out FOR THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL" and "most of the brethren in
the Lord, having become confident by my chain, are MUCH MORE bold to speak the
word without fear". Not only Paul's chains were not a hindrance to the
gospel but they also worked for ITS FURTHERANCE. They really became the power
for a bolder proclamation of the Word of God by the other brethren. It may
appear as negative for the gospel that Paul was in prison but it was not. In
contrast, it had positive effects on it as it worked for its furtherance. The
same effect had also his presence in the same place - i.e. in prison - but in
Philippi this time. Really, in Acts 16:22-25 we read:
Acts 16:22-25
"Then the multitude rose up together against them [Paul and Silas]; and
the magistrates tore off their clothes, and commanded them to be beaten with
rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison,
commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he
put them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
prisoners were listening to them."
Paul and Silas were not arguing with God about their
situation, but THEY WERE PRAYING AND SINGING TO HIM. Because of their stand,
all the prisoners heard the Word of God that night, spoken via these hymns and
prayers. Would have they ever heard it, had no-one been there to speak it to
them? I do not think so. But let's read further:
Acts 16:26-34
"Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's
chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep, and
seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword
and was about to kill himself. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do
yourself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, ran in, and
fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out, and said,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the Word
of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same
hour of the night and washed their stripes; and immediately he and all his
family were baptized. And when he had brought them into his house, he set food
before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his
household."
Would have all these ever happened if Paul and Silas
were not imprisoned? Would we ever see the prison keeper and his family in
heaven, had not Paul and Silas been there? I don’t think so. We hear
"prison" and we say "evil", yet His thoughts are not our
thoughts but immeasurably higher than ours.
From the above, that in no way exhaust the subject2, we can conclude that if we love God,
whatever may happen in our lives, pleasant or unpleasant, work together for
good. Many get disappointed and offended when "tribulation or persecution
arises because of the word" (Matthew 13:21). However even the tribulations
and the trials, WORK ALSO FOR GOOD, if we love God.
Romans 5:3
"And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation PRODUCES patience"
II Corinthians 4:17
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, IS WORKING FOR US a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory"
James 1:2-4
"My brethren COUNT IT ALL JOY when you fall into various temptations,
knowing that the testing of your faith PRODUCES patience.
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking nothing" (NKJV-KJV)
Hebrews 5:8
"though he [speaking of Christ] was a Son yet he learned obedience BY the things which he suffered"
The afflictions are "WORKING FOR US". They
work patience. They work eternal glory. They work obedience. Nothing in the
life of a man that loves God is random or vain. In contrast, "ALL THINGS
WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE HIM".