During Pastor Appreciation week, we’re spotlighting blogs from pastors with poignant messages of hope and thoughts about Christianity.
By Pastor Tim Challies
We all know, we all love, we all quote, and at some point we all rely on Romans 8:28.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
It is a powerfully encouraging verse, a powerfully encouraging promise from God. In the middle of hardship, at the moment of crisis, it is sweet comfort to know that God is at work, and that in some way, he is bringing good from what seems so bad, and bringing joy from what feels so painful.
The verse comes to us in the context of suffering. Paul explains that the ways we suffer here and now are real and painful, but that they simply do not and will not compare to the eternal weight of glory that is being prepared for us.
And even as we endure these times, looking ahead, we can believe and trust that our suffering is not wasted or purposeless. God is at work in our pain, and he speaks comforting words to us through the Bible.
We need to be reassured and comforted that difficult circumstances work for good, but what about the rest of life?
Have you paused to think about that little word all before? All things work together for good. If we take that word seriously, we need to extend it beyond the difficult times and allow it to touch the good and even the mundane.
Tim Challies serves as pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto. He is co-founder of Cruciform Press.
