When you are going through a difficult time, some people may quote Romans 8:28 to you. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” They may mean well, but at the time, you may think the situation is definitely not good and you may wonder how it could possibly be worked for good.
But if you look closely at the verse, it says God will cause all things to “work together” for good. The Greek word for “work together” is sunergeo which means “fellow worker,” and it’s where we get the word synergy. Synergy is “the combined power of a group of things or people, when they are working together, that is greater than the total power of each working separately.”
By itself, the difficulty, test, or trial you are experiencing may not be good, but when combined with other events or experiences, it will be working together for your good. We only see part of the picture, but God sees everything. He knows the end from the beginning.
In Romans 8:17, just a few verses earlier, Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed.” Paul was enduring great suffering, but he kept his faith and focus on what was to come. Then right after he says God will cause all things to work together, he adds, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of HIs Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29) Some of the “good” that comes out of our tests and trials is that, if we allow God to work in us, we will become more like Jesus.
If there could be a photograph next to Romans 8:28 of someone who lived this truth out, it would be of Joseph. Envied and sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused of inappropriate behavior toward Potiphar’s wife, sent to prison and forgotten by his fellow inmates, Joseph may have wondered at times how God would bring good out of everything he went through. Each thing in and of itself was not good, but when combined together, led him to eventually be called to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and to become second in command to Pharaoh himself over all the land of Egypt.
When his brothers were brought before him during the famine, before he revealed to them that he was their brother, they were afraid of what he might do to them. But Joseph told them who he was and said, “And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” (Genesis 45:5-8)
When Joseph and his brothers’ father, Jacob, died, the brothers began to fear for their lives again. Joseph had the power to make them slaves or even have them killed, but Joseph was able to see that God had worked together everything in his life, even the hard times, to save his family. In Genesis 50:19-21 Joseph says, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, not be afraid: I will provide for you and your little ones.”
What difficulty, trial or test are you going through? Have you gotten discouraged, or have you lost hope? Do you wonder what good could possibly come from your circumstances? Take heart. Even though you may not see it, God is working. He will take everything you’re going through and bring good out of it. You may also find yourself being transformed into the image of Jesus if you let God work in your heart during this time.
