"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." Romans 8:28
Most likely at some point you have heard this verse spoken as an encouraging word, maybe to a friend walking through a difficult time or in a sermon about the nature of God's work in our world. It's a great "God is on your side" kind of verse. Sometimes I feel this verse gets overused or applied in overly simplistic ways. What does it mean that God works for the "good" of those who love him? How do we understand what Paul means by good?
As a pastor in this church over the past few months I have had interesting encounters with people and their "stories." I think we still feel the loss of Aaron Barg in our lives. The memories of his memorial service and the time spent with his family during that period are still extremely fresh in my mind. We all remember a sanctuary packed full of people touched in some way by this beautiful young man. We heard the story of Aaron's life but in the process we were connected with a much bigger story, God's story. Two storylines clearly entangled touching us all in powerful ways.
And then I think about the conversation I had Thursday night listening to Dwight Samuelson's story. Here was a situation where Dwight wasn't expected to live, overcame amazing odds, and doctors called what happened a miracle. One thing I heard last night was the phrase that God used Dwight through this experience. God worked through Dwight's hurting body, providing amazing healing which became a testament to God's power and answer to prayer. So there I was last night laying in bed thinking about these different stories. On the one hand you have a young man who lived a life of physical struggle where the outcome was not what we desired and on the other a story of healing in the face of amazing odds.
Can we in light of this verse which declares God's work as "good" in the lives of those who love him still hold these two stories together? As difficult as it is sometimes I believe the answer is yes. Leon Morris says that "good"in this passage should be understood as "true good" or "final good." I believe he is suggesting that we must see "good" in a much deeper way or from a wider perspective then its current use in contemporary culture. I want to say at this point that by talking about good, especially in Aaron's context I don't mean to minimize the pain of his absence, but rather to begin to define "good" in terms of a larger activity. It was through the stories of these men (Aaron and Dwight) that a much bigger story was told. It was through these men that the beauty, power, love, and design of God was and is made known. It is this larger story, broader purpose, and eternal understanding that unifies the stories of these men into the fabric of God's story.
While I agree there is a sense that the "good" this verse refers to is a "true good" or "final good" and part of this good is the telling of God's story, the verse clearly says that "in all things God works FOR the good of those who love him".
If it is true that God is working for MY good, then there also has to be something more than just this final or true good, it must also be good for me.
Since this was a favorite verse of my grandmother, and quoted to me in that overused way, I had to dig a little deeper to find out what that good for me meant, when from my human perspective it looked anything but good.
When I actually read the verse, and not just the shortened quote I always heard, I see that God works all things for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. But what is His purpose? I think verse 29 answers this - to conform me to the likeness of Christ. This is my personal ultimate good, in addition to a final good.
If I make God's purpose, my purpose, then this verse does give me the hope my grandmother tried to give me. Not in an overused, simplified way, but in the best, most personal way possible. God knows me intimately, and He will use everything that He does and that He allows in my life, to finish the good work that He started in me. He'll make me like Jesus. What hope.