I don’t believe
that when God says
He works
all things
for the good,
that He means
He gives us brokenness
and then calls it good
I don’t believe that
I believe that
when God says
He works
all things
for the good
He means
that for those who love Him,
He takes our brokenness
in this broken world
and He uses it for good
He redeems it
He uses
difficult
and harsh
and sad
and awful
and changes hearts
heals wounds
teaches
and makes something beautiful
He wraps His loving arms
around the worst
and when He opens His arms
we find that the worst
looks like good
– Susie Stewart
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
– Romans 8:28 (NIV)
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
– Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity He restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him. After God made that decision of what His children should be like, He followed it up by calling people by name. After He called them by name, He set them on a solid basis with Himself. And then, after getting them established, He stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what He had begun.
– Romans 8:28-30 (MSG)
Photo by Susie Stewart
Susie Stewart 