All Things

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28.

One of the dangers of studying the Bible is becoming so familiar with the verses they seem to lose power. God didn’t give us the Bible as some out of date stale words on paper. He always intended us to view it as active and alive, breathing its application into our circumstances. Romans 8:28 is one of those verses that roll off Christians tongues much like the platitude ‘Have a good day.’ But there are hundreds of applicable examples of Scripture breathing life into our situations. On Sunday, I was overwhelmed with a new freshness of this verse because of the way God worked in our details. I could hardly talk about it to Bruce because it resonated in such a tender spot in my heart.

When we put our townhome on the market, we were confident a buyer would want our furnishings since most of these townhomes are vacation rentals. We thought we would simply pack up our things we chose to take home and 90% would be sold with the property. Two weeks ago, we got word that the buyers wanted nothing, and we began to scramble. Had we known in advance we could have had friends and family come to Folly and choose things that would bless them. But here we were with a full townhome of furniture, bedding, and a full kitchen. We went down so many rabbit holes in Charleston only to come up empty. Who knew it would be so difficult to give away so many things? Every idea and effort we had was met with a closed door. Finally, we texted our realtor in a panic asking if he had any ideas. He suggested we reach out to his ‘stager’ who had worked with us when we first put our home on the market. The texting started and God began His Romans 8:28 miraculous and timely march working everything out. The stager wanted every single item of the remaining contents that we were not taking home. She is involved in a ministry with the church that we always attended while at Folly. She has a storage area where she stores anything that would be a blessing for families in need. Not only does she love God but I’m certain that the families who are the recipients of our furnishings love God too. They are coming this weekend and gathering ‘God’s good’ to take to families who barely have anything. I can’t get over how God cares and love us enough to roll up His sleeves and really work it all out if we will take our hands off our circumstances.

I know that many of you are facing much more challenging circumstances that our issue. But I want you to feel a new breath of God’s promise. He states that He is ready and willing to work out ALL things for you no matter what you are facing. He will not leave you alone in your loneliness…your fear…your grief…your confusion…your challenges. He will place His hands on our situations if we will take our hands off trying to control things. He has the wisdom of what needs to happen. He sees the future so there aren’t surprises. He knows the people He intends to use in our circumstances. He does not blindly or randomly work out our outcomes, rather with great precision and purpose aligning everything that benefits us and others.

When we consider God above our circumstances and pray His promises back to Him, we unleash His power and come in for the Romans 8:28 promise. ALL things will be worked out!