What is Means, and What it DOESN'T Mean that God Works All Things for the Good

Now, that's pretty good promise.

It doesn't say all things that come into our life are good.

There are bad things coming into your life, my friends.

Life throws us curveballs.

We suffer loss, loss of friends, loss of possessions, loss maybe of our reputation, loss of a loved one.

Of course, that's what I'm still trusting God for in the midst of his promises, trusting God for his promises in the midst of the loss of my wife.

That's a big, big loss.

And you can't look at that and say, well, that's a good thing to lose someone or to lose something or to suffer this type pain in life.

But what we can say is that God uses that and works it together with other things for our good.

Now, here's how we sometimes misunderstand that.

We think that the good that we receive is going to happen here on earth.

We think that no matter what pain I'm going through now, I will be rewarded here on earth.

Sometimes we are.

Sometimes we see the benefit right here.

That's one thing I've prayed about losing Roz.

I've said, Lord, I accept I won't understand why she went when she did and how she did and so on.

But all I ask is that someday I can see how it really worked together for the good.

And I'd like to see that here on earth.

But I don't think this is saying that our circumstances will always turn out for the better.

That's how we can sometimes interpret this verse, is to imply that even though I've suffered something now or something doesn't seem good now, my circumstances are going to turn.

And indeed, this happened many times in Scripture.

And it happens many times in our life where maybe you might be fired from a job and you are panicking.

This is terrible.

This is horrible.

What am I going to do? And lo and behold, you find yourself in a better situation.

Now, that's pretty good promise.

It doesn't say all things that come into our life are good.

There are bad things coming into your life, my friends.

Life throws us curveballs.

We suffer loss, loss of friends, loss of possessions, loss maybe of our reputation, loss of a loved one.

Of course, that's what I'm still trusting God for in the midst of his promises, trusting God for his promises in the midst of the loss of my wife.

That's a big, big loss.

And you can't look at that and say, well, that's a good thing to lose someone or to lose something or to suffer this type pain in life.

But what we can say is that God uses that and works it together with other things for our good.

Now, here's how we sometimes misunderstand that.

We think that the good that we receive is going to happen here on earth.

We think that no matter what pain I'm going through now, I will be rewarded here on earth.

Sometimes we are.

Sometimes we see the benefit right here.

That's one thing I've prayed about losing Roz.

I've said, Lord, I accept I won't understand why she went when she did and how she did and so on.

But all I ask is that someday I can see how it really worked together for the good.

And I'd like to see that here on earth.

But I don't think this is saying that our circumstances will always turn out for the better.

That's how we can sometimes interpret this verse, is to imply that even though I've suffered something now or something doesn't seem good now, my circumstances are going to turn.

And indeed, this happened many times in Scripture.

And it happens many times in our life where maybe you might be fired from a job and you are panicking.

This is terrible.

This is horrible.

What am I going to do? And lo and behold, you find yourself in a better situation.