All things for good (Romans 8-10)

Paul tells us that God works all things together for good for those who love Him.  JB Phillips paraphrased this concept as, "everything that happens fits into a pattern for good."  I think that's a good way of explaining this important truth.  For the person who believes that Jesus' death is sufficient for his or her salvation, there is the promise not that all things will somehow just be okay but that they will actually work together for good.  Earlier this week I was speaking with my brother whose wife is going to have a baby tomorrow (Thursday).  There have been some complications with the pregnancy, the latest of which is that the baby is in a breech position, which means Vanessa will need to have a c-section.  When I commented to my brother about how sorry I was that Vanessa would have to go through this surgery, his response was encouraging: "We just trust that God is watching out for us and that there might be reasons that we don't even know of for why the birth is going to happen this way."  He's trusting that God will work things out for good.  Though Christians still face hard circumstances, we have the hope that God will work them out into a pattern for our good.  What a great hope to have!