But we *do* know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose.
Paul has just said that we often do not know what to pray for. This verse answers with something we do know. It ties three things together: the reach of "all things," the people who love God, and the purpose behind their calling.
Certainty Where Prayer Is at a Loss
This promise sits right next to our failure in prayer. One commentator notes that we know it now, and that it holds for other believers as well as ourselves.
Even Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12, did not know what to pray for as he ought. But the Lord was faithful and showed him that His grace was enough — an answer far better than the prayer. And not Paul only — we too know that all things work together for good. Not merely that they will one day — they do it now. And this holds for others as well as ourselves, for those who love God. Without this, sorrows only irritate. Here they are blessed twice over: a blessing to those who go through them, and a blessing to other children of God.
The Reach of "All Things"
Nothing sits outside the word "all." One writer spells out the list.
All things — not one is left out. The bitter and the sweet, adversity and prosperity, sickness and health, yes, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword: all are only instruments in the hands of our God to work out the end He has purposed. How calmly then we may rest in Him and in His love!
Knowing Without Seeing
Faith can hold this promise long before it can trace how it works.
We may not always see how this loss, or that trial, is working for our good, but faith knows that good will be the result in time and eternity. We may have to wait before we understand how all things work for good. It was so with Peter, when the Lord told him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Someone else has said, "The sorrow may not be remedied, but the sorrow is blessed."
Jacob's Mistake
Jacob, in the book of Genesis, had lost one son and feared losing another. He read those troubles the opposite way from this verse.
His complaint was, "All these things are against me." And so indeed it appeared. He had yet to learn that all these things were part of God's plan for his ultimate good. At the end of his life he could speak of "the angel who has redeemed me from all evil" (Genesis 48:16).
Those Who Love God
The promise names a group, so it is worth asking who belongs to it.
The fact is, the expression "those who look for Him," like "those who love God" (Rom. 8:28), is simply a Bible way of describing believers. If a man does not love God, and does not look for Christ, he cannot be called a Christian.
Another writer points out which way that love runs.
What underlies Romans 8 is that we know God and we love Him. It is not merely that God loves us; our affections are with Him and in line with Him.
Called According to Purpose
The verse does not rest our assurance on our love alone. It also points to God's call.
To assure our hearts that all is working for good, we are reminded that we are "the called" of God; and, if called, God has a purpose for us. God saves us because we need saving; God calls us because He wants us. All God's ways with us in the present have in view the fulfilment of His purpose for us in the future.
Kelly explains why calling and purpose are brought in here at all:
This is carefully stated here, in case our love toward God should weaken the thought of grace on His part. That is why purpose, and calling according to purpose, are put forward.
What the "Good" Is
Our idea of a good outcome may not be God's. One writer looks at the whole section to find what God means.
And what is the "good" that God has in mind? I believe we must take this section as a whole. The great thing in mind is that God will conform us to the image of His Son. Could you think of any greater thought than that? Divine love has set itself firmly and constantly to bless us, and has entered with sympathy into every circumstance we could pass through.
Summary
- Known, not felt — the verse starts where prayer breaks down. It promises a sure outcome, not an explanation of how.
- All, not most — bitter and sweet, sickness and health, persecution and sword are all tools in God's hand. He leaves nothing out.
- Called, not merely loved — our love marks us out as believers, but our assurance rests on His calling. God saves us because we need saving; He calls us because He wants us.
- Conformity, not comfort — the "good" God aims at is likeness to His Son, so today's circumstances serve tomorrow's purpose.
- Jacob's error, our warning — "all these things are against me" was his verdict on events that were working for his good.