And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30
This passage should always stop us in our tracks. It reminds me that God’s work in my life is far bigger than anything I can measure in the moment. Paul doesn’t say that everything that may befall us or this world is good (satan is loose and sin has corrupted this world), but that everything is worked for good—reshaped, repurposed, woven into something only God could accomplish. And the more I reflect on that, the more I realize how limited my perspective really is. I naturally want God’s goodness to look like resolution, clarity, or blessing I can observe right now. But this passage pushes me to lift my eyes. God isn’t simply managing my comfort; He’s forming Christ in me.
The sequence Paul lays out—foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified—reveals that God is sovereign over the entire arc of my existence. My story doesn’t begin with my effort, and it won’t end with my limitations. His plans for me were in motion before I was conscious of Him (before all of time actually), and His final work will outlast my lifetime. The “good” He’s working may unfold in ways I never see with earthly eyes: healing that happens in future generations, faith strengthened in others because of my suffering, or fruit that grows long after I’m gone. God’s sovereignty means that nothing is wasted, even when it feels like everything is unfinished.
APPLICATION
Today I want to choose trust over immediacy. I may never witness the full good God is weaving from my circumstances, and that has to be okay. My job is not to demand visibility but to walk faithfully with Him—loving Him, seeking Him, and believing that His purposes for me are anchored in eternity. When I don’t understand the storyline, I’ll rest peacefully in the Author.