For Our Good
Romans 8:28-29 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Reflection
As I sit down to write this reflection, a text comes through: the ten-year-old classmate of my son died this morning. Despite the desperate prayers of his parents, our family, our friends, and our community, he still died. This verse works easily when the things God causes to work together are good things in our human eyes. It is harder when God’s “good” doesn’t look like ours.
I thought about these questions: How do I react when the things I am praying fiercely for don’t come? Do I stop and consider that God’s “good” may be different, a piece to a larger puzzle that only He can see? Do I allow our all-knowing Father to change my heart and my pleas from healing, to sustaining me in His will? Does the thought of Jesus as our example bring peace to situations that are unexpected, tragic even? After all, God worked the ultimate tragedy into good by offering His Son as a perfect sacrifice for each of us. Praise God that He continues to work in this broken world, even if His work doesn’t make sense to us just yet.
Worship
Listen to the song “Good Plans” by Red Rocks Worship. Recognize that even when things don’t work out the way we want them to, God is still on His throne, and we need look no further than scripture for help in finding the words to submit our plans to Him.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Reflection
As I sit down to write this reflection, a text comes through: the ten-year-old classmate of my son died this morning. Despite the desperate prayers of his parents, our family, our friends, and our community, he still died. This verse works easily when the things God causes to work together are good things in our human eyes. It is harder when God’s “good” doesn’t look like ours.
I thought about these questions: How do I react when the things I am praying fiercely for don’t come? Do I stop and consider that God’s “good” may be different, a piece to a larger puzzle that only He can see? Do I allow our all-knowing Father to change my heart and my pleas from healing, to sustaining me in His will? Does the thought of Jesus as our example bring peace to situations that are unexpected, tragic even? After all, God worked the ultimate tragedy into good by offering His Son as a perfect sacrifice for each of us. Praise God that He continues to work in this broken world, even if His work doesn’t make sense to us just yet.
Worship
Listen to the song “Good Plans” by Red Rocks Worship. Recognize that even when things don’t work out the way we want them to, God is still on His throne, and we need look no further than scripture for help in finding the words to submit our plans to Him.
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