By: Dale Weckbacher
Romans 8:28
And we know that for
those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are
called according to his purpose.
(ESV)
Before beginning this study, I want to remind my readers of
what occurred on December 7, 1941. The U.S.
President, Franklin Roosevelt called this day a day of infamy in his address to
Congress the next day. In Honolulu Hawaii,
the Sunday morning of December 7, 1941, began like any other Sunday morning in
the paradise of Hawaii. However, the
dreams of a peaceful Sunday morning soon became a nightmare with a vicious
surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Over 2000 people, mostly military died on
that day and why President Roosevelt labeled the day a day of infamy as he
asked Congress to declare war on Japan. I
urge my readers to take a moment to pause to pray those in the military, law
enforcement, and first responders who daily risk their lives to keep us
safe.
Romans 8:28 is a promise many go to when things do not
appear to be working out as planned. However,
many read this promise and miss the condition that the promise applies to those
that love God and have a calling from God.
The good news is that all who have made Jesus their savior demonstrate a
love for God when they publicly announce their confession of faith (Romans
10:9-10), further confirming their belief and love for God through baptism
(Acts
8:12). Anyone professing faith in
God has a calling to share the Gospel through how they live and what they say (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).
For those meeting the qualification of believing and having
a calling, this promise brings hope but does not mean we will not experience
pain when going through a struggle in life, but instead, a promise things will
work out in the long-term for our good. Psalm
73 provides a biblical example of someone who rationalized the appearance non-believers
had it better than those placing their trust in God by meditating on how things
work out best for God’s people in the long-term. The psalm begins with the psalmist lamenting
the appearance that the wicked seemed to live carefree lives free from
struggle.
The psalm begins with the acknowledgment that God is good to
Israel and to those who are pure in heart.
However, he then goes into his lament by acknowledging he almost
stumbled due to envy at the material prosperity of the wicked (Psalm
73:1-3). The Psalmist continues by
telling of his observation that the wicked have no suffering till death, have an
abundance of supply, and no trouble (Psalm
73:4-5). His description of the
wicked is people full of pride, violence, a life of folly, malice, threatening
oppression, and speaking against the heavens (Psalm
73:6-9). Those that do not believe
in God fill the godless void in their lives by ascribing a level of deity to
these individuals based upon their wealth and ease of life (Psalm
73:10-12). The psalmist concludes
this section of the psalm with a lament of living for the Lord and suffering
while the wicked appear to prosper (Psalm
73:13-15). The psalmist continues by
claiming that trying to understand this dichotomy is wearisome, until entering
the sanctuary of God where God revealed the long-term fate of the wicked to him
(Psalm
73:16-17).
This lament turns to joy at the revelation of the temporary
nature of prosperity for the wicked while on earth with an eternity of
separation from God (Psalm
73:18-28). In Psalm
84:10, the psalmist declares his desire to experience just one day in the
presence of God over thousands enjoying time with the wicked enjoying their
worldly prosperity. This is eternal
security that may come with struggles in this world but has eternal security from
the overcoming power of God (John
16:33). Jesus’ declaration of
overcoming the world is a reference to his conquest of death through his
resurrection. The good news for all
professing faith in Jesus as their savior is that the same resurrection power
that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in their hearts through the Holy Spirit
(Romans
8:11). It is this indwelling power
in the heart of every believer in Christ that allows them to proclaim that all
things, good and bad, in their lives work for their good. The life of Joseph is an illustration of how
events in a believer’s life that appear destructive work to save not only themselves
but others (Genesis
50:15-21).
The truth is that all people experience struggles in
life. Those that do not know Jesus as
their savior lack the overcoming resurrection power of the Holy Spirit in their
life which can lead to depression or even despair over the challenges and
struggles of life. If that is you, I
invite you to pray with me to invite the overcoming power of the resurrected
Lord into your life.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
While the challenges of life will continue, those that have
accepted Jesus as their savior have the overcoming power of the resurrected
Lord in their life, providing the power to maintain joy during the struggle (James
1:2). This is due to knowing the struggles
are temporary with an eternal future of glory and security with Christ. This is the only source of eternal security that
never fails. May God bless everyone
reading this post.
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