These are some of my favorite verses. I love that God is at work in every circumstance, and that nothing is wasted with Him.

I’m reminded of when my mother-in-law keenly observed—while laughing and pointing to the black, mushy banana on top of my freezer—“some of us look like this, but we’re pretty sweet on the inside.” Yeah, I thought, this also applies to ugly trials and circumstances. God takes those ugly moments and turns them into something sweet; something only He can do.

There’s a catch, however, to God’s promise of working all things together: “For those who love God, and have been called according to his purpose” (vs. 28).

God’s Redemptive Purpose (Romans 8:30)

Paul uses verse 30 to bridge eternity past with his grand summary of God’s redemptive purpose. Shepherd’s Notes defines the following:

• Predestination: God’s grace at work before the foundation of the world
• Calling: God’s grace confronting us
• Justification: God’s grace making us right with Himself in the midst of history
• Glorification: God’s grace in the consummation of this age

So What?

• Believers can be assured that God is for us. Everything that happens to us is in His sovereign hand.
• Although we can’t control our circumstances, or others, God is able to take what happens to us and use it for our future good.
• God’s ultimate goal is not to make us comfortable, but conformable. That is, to grow us into the likeness of Christ (1 John 3:2). This is when we discover freedom and fulfillment in the true person God created us to be.