QT 11/28/2024 Rom 8:24-30, God rarely stops evil from happening in this life, but he does work to bring good

Romans 8:24–30 (ESV) —

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

 

NOTE: Verse 28 is the  best explanation of God's sovereignty for the believer in the bible (although Gen 50:20 is pretty good too). God is in control, but not in the way we use the phrase. Evil happens and it can happen to anyone. While God retains the ability to intervene, verse 28 suggests that rather than intervening in the beginning, in his omniscience he intervenes after the fact, using evil or an accident to bring good out of the situation (for the believer only). And his "good" is defined differently than how we define it. We define it in terms of this "seen" and "temporal" life, but God defines it in terms of an "unseen" eternity. Yes, God is sovereign, but not in the way we would like to think. He has a plan and he is orchestrating events to that end. That does not mean life will be easy or without suffering to the believer. God has a much larger view than we do. Our job is to, by faith, believe that God knows my situation and is working to bring His good out of it. He cares for me and he knows me. He is not unaware. I must trust him in the situation.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I mistakenly believe that God will protect me from any and every calamity?
2. Do I believe that whatever happens to me, God will work to bring good out of this situation (although his good may not be what I would like to see happen)?

 

PRAYER: Father, I have dealt with this many times over the years. I have seen strong Christians with terrible setbacks to children or family that seem to last a lifetime. We choose and make terrible choices. Still, you are working to bring good out of situation that is evil or intended for evil by someone. Thank you.