Joseph never gave up, even after he was sold into slavery, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison. I think he’s probably the greatest biblical example of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
In the original Greek, “Work together,” is synergei. This is where we get the word synergy, which is the combining of various elements to produce a result greater than the sum of those elements. God does that with all the components in our lives—He causes a synergism so that the result is greater than the sum of all the elements.
You might think you’re experiencing an event that isn’t good by any stretch of the imagination. But just as two poisonous elements like sodium and chloride can be combined to make table salt—which makes things taste better—so God is able to combine certain events in your life so that they actually benefit you.
In the end, Joseph gave a statement of faith that echoes Romans 8:28: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
Romans 8:28 is a hard verse. If it read “most things work together for good,” we could get our heads around it. But it says, “all things.”
When Job was struggling with suffering in his own life and searching for God, he said, “Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8-10).
Job said something else in the midst of his suffering: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). Did you get that? Even if this trial kills me, by the will of God, I’ll still trust Him.
So here’s a question for all of us: What is your limit in trusting God? Are you saying secretly in your heart, “I trust God as long as I enjoy good health,” or “as long as I maintain my high standard of living,” or “as long as this relationship works out”? Joseph could look back on his life and say, “All of this worked together by God’s perfect plan.”
Some people are okay with adversity; fewer people can handle prosperity. There are believers that God has blessed with wealth because He knows they can manage it well and reflect His goodness through it. But most people can’t. One woman won the lottery—$5.4 million—but lost it all because she couldn’t say “no” when people asked her for money. She said later that winning the lottery ruined her life.
God loves you too much to ruin you. Aren’t you glad He loves you that much, that He knows what would ruin your life? Maybe you could even say, “Thank You, Lord, that I’m not rich!”
Romans 11:22 says, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God.” When God allows something to come into your life that you don’t particularly like, consider how He causes things to synergize for your good.
God has a purpose for your life. Some of you are sweating it out and wondering why it’s so difficult, and you’re misreading Romans 8:28 to say, “Most things work together for good,” or “Some things work together for good.”
Last time I checked, it still says “all things.”
