And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28-29

Sometimes life gets extremely difficult, and things seem like they are spinning out of control. Sometimes, just when you think you get one area of your life back on the right track, two other areas derail. Stress can take its toll on us, and make us wonder why bad things seem to continually happen to good people.

This verse from Romans gives me great comfort and hope. First, it teaches that it is okay for things to be beyond my control, because they were never really within my control in the first place. Since God is completely sovereign over our circumstances, things are never out of His control. I don’t have to have everything neatly organized and within my reach. I can relax, let go and trust God with my circumstances.

Second, God often brings triumph out of tragedy. Consider the lives of Daniel, David, Moses, Esther, Paul and many others. In each life there was adversity, trials and suffering. And in each case, God worked through the difficult circumstances to sanctify the individual and to bring glory to Himself. The circumstances themselves may not be “good”. But God harmonizes them together for the believer’s ultimate good, because His goal is to bring us to complete sanctification.

There is also the idea here of God’s great love for us, and just as a loving parent disciplines his or her child, so our Heavenly Father uses “all things”, including trials and adversity, to discipline His children and train us to be godly. Though the circumstances may not be pleasant, God uses them for our good.

Isn’t it comforting to know that God is always working, and He is working in all things? Will we trust God through the trials and adversities of our lives? Will we release control, knowing that He is ultimately in control? Will we allow God to work in and through our circumstances in our to sanctify us for our ultimate good?