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A guy I know went to the birthing classes with his wife when they were pregnant with their first child. He learned about the process of delivering a baby and how to help his wife during her labor contractions. 

Months later when his wife’s contractions began, he knew what was going on in her body based on the science of what he was taught. However, it became very clear that she knew what contractions were on a deeper level than he would ever know! My friend knew intellectually what contractions were; his wife knew what they were from experience.

Likewise, often we know in our heads that God will work out our circumstances for good, but often we don’t have the experience in our hearts.

Paul told the believers in the city of Rome, “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” (Romans 8:28).

One of my favorite Bible teachers—J. Vernon McGee—writes about this verse, “We come now to the new purpose of God. If Romans is the greatest book of the Bible, and chapter 8 is the high-water mark, then verse 28 is the pinnacle.”¹

How often is this verse quoted from memory yet not experienced. Like my friend’s limited understanding of his wife’s contractions, sometimes we know that God works out things for our good, but we don’t really feel it. Especially when going through difficult times. 

We also need to remember that this is happening now. “God causes everything to work together” is a present active verb in the Greek (Paul originally wrote in Koine Greek). This means that this is something God is actively doing. It’s not something He does when He feels like it, when He’s in a good mood, or when we have been loyal to Him. God continually causes everything to work together for good for us. 

Another truth we need to remember is that God has a plan and “purpose” for us “because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan” (Ephesians 1:11). 

God has a plan even if we might not always understand it. Even if we can’t see Him working out circumstances, He’s using them for good. Warren Wiersbe has said, “We don’t always discern God’s plan, nor do we always understand His plan, but knowing that the Lord is in command puts peace and joy in our hearts.”²And that joy should be knowing in our hearts that God works out our circumstances for good.

¹J. Vernon McGee, Romans 1-8, Thru the Bible Commentaries (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 156.

²Warren Wiersbe, The Delights and Disciplines of Bible Study (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2018), 48.

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