"More Than A Cliché"
Text: Romans 8:28-39 (esp. v.28)
7-26-2026
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. There are certain Bible verses that sure do seem to get quoted a lot. Unfortunately, many of them are often misquoted or misapplied to a given set of circumstances. That's true of the opening verse of our Epistle lesson. Please forgive me if I quote it to you from the old King James Version, but that's the way I memorized it as a child: "All things work together for good to them that love God." There is deep comfort in that verse for a believer when facing a difficult time or a confusing crisis in their life. But sadly, this verse can sometimes be misused like a worn-out cliché. When a friend is grieving over the tragic loss of a loved one, inevitably someone will try to comfort them by saying, "All things work together for good to them that love God." I know they mean well. And I'd agree that this verse can bring comfort to someone who is hurting inside. But it's almost like we say it only when we don't know what else to say. Then it becomes just an empty cliché rather than the powerful Word of God that can soothe a broken heart.
So, it's good for us to look at this verse when we're not facing a crisis and try to understand what's really going on when those difficult times come. By digging deeper into this truth, we can learn to trust in God's goodness so that our next crisis doesn't unravel us. Then this verse will be more than just a casual cliché. Rather, it'll be something you can believe in and live by. You know, they say that hindsight is 20/20. But actually, the only way you can learn to trust in what this verse teaches is with hindsight. By looking back on a crisis in the past, we can see how God did indeed make it work out for the good of a believer. As we do this, you'll see again and again how God was true to His promise to turn evil into good for them that love Him.
Take, for example, the story of Joseph. His brothers hated him so much that they sold him as a slave. He was taken to Egypt, far away from his home. We'd all agree that this was a personal crisis for him. His master was a government official named Potiphar and God blessed Joseph's work. He was put in charge of Potiphar's entire household. Already it sounds like God turned something evil into good for Joseph. It gets better though. But first, he had to go through another crisis. Potiphar's wife had the hots for Joseph and when he refused to have sex with her, she falsely accused him of trying to rape her. As a result, Joseph was thrown into prison. But God blessed him there too. While Joseph was in prison, Pharaoh had a dream that nobody else could interpret. God gave Joseph the answer to that dream, and he told it to Pharaoh. So, Joseph got promoted to the second highest position in the government. Once again, God turned an evil situation in Joseph's life into something really good.
Later, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy grain during a drought in Canaan. He had the opportunity to pay them back for the terrible things they had done to him. But instead, he invited his whole family to move to Egypt where Joseph could take care of them. With hindsight, Joseph looked back at the crisis that God had allowed him to experience and he saw how the Lord used it for good. In Genesis 50:20 he said to his brothers, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." Joseph learned to trust God even when things look horrible. He definitely understood the truth that "All things work together for good to them that love God."
There are numerous other examples of this principle at work in the Scriptures. But I suspect that some of you are thinking, "Yeah, that may be true of people in the Bible but what about us today?" Well, how about this: I knew a man who got married during World War II and then was drafted into the Army. While he was away, he received a "Dear John" letter. Before long, he was divorced and left with a lonely heart full of pain. As you might imagine, he wondered how anything good could come out of this. And it really challenged his faith. But after some years had passed, he met a woman that he ended up marrying. Because of the pain of those early years, they firmly resolved to stay together no matter what. And they did for over 50 years. In case you’re wondering who this was, I'm referring to my parents. As they raised us 7 kids they went through some tough times. And when they did, my father would frequently quote that verse "All things work together for good to them that love God." It was reminder of what God had done in the past. That verse was more than just a cliché for them. It was a statement of faith and trust in God.
How about you? Is this verse just a cliché or is it a principle you live by? I know that many of you are facing a crisis or a difficult time right now. I look at your faces and I can name some of the pains that are weighing on your hearts today. And I'm confident there are plenty of hidden troubles and difficulties that I'm not aware of nor is anyone else. But there is Someone who can turn your crisis into something good; and that's God. Listen to what He says to the people of Israel in Jeremiah 29. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you." Keep in mind that God was speaking here to His chosen people whom He had allowed to be captured and carried off to Babylon. How could that possibly end up being something good? Well, their crisis had a very positive effect on them. It drove them to their knees in prayer. It caused them to remember their God who loved them. It caused them to beg Him for forgiveness. And they called on Him for help, trusting that He was powerful enough to save them.
God does the same for everyone He loves and who love Him in return. He can and will take any crisis in your life and turn it into good. But the primary good that God works out through your crisis is that He will draw you into a deeper relationship with Him. That's the most important thing to God. He wants you to trust Him in every situation, even when things look dark and hopeless. He calls you to believe that "All things work together for good to them that love God." Pause to review the times in the past where God did exactly that. I don't know about you, but I have too many examples to count where God took something that was an unarguable crisis and turned into something good. In fact, I wouldn't be your Pastor today if it weren't for God taking a bad situation and turning it around to His glory and my good.
If you have any doubts left that God can turn evil into something good, then all you need to do is look to the cross. Could there be any greater crisis situation than that? God's own Son, who had never committed a single sin, was nailed to the cross so that He could die there for all of our sins. I'm sure that the disciples and everyone else who loved Jesus were asking the question, "How can any good come out of this terribly evil tragedy?" But God answered that question with the empty tomb on Easter morning. He took that crisis and turned it into something good for the whole world. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are now totally forgiven for all of our sins. Through all the pain and suffering of Jesus, God showed His great love for us. The cross clearly shows us the truth behind that verse, "All things work together for good to them that love God."
Friends, I don't know how God will solve the next crisis in your life. All I do know is that He promises He will. And He has an excellent track record of doing this in the lives of believers. Let me hasten to add that there will be crisis situations in this life where we may never see how there was any good that came out of it. But that's when we must set reason aside and simply reach out in faith believing that "All things work together for good to them that love God." When we truly believe those words, then they will become more than just a cliché for the crisis situations of our lives. When we trust in the God who made that promise those words will become a statement of faith that we can live by. Then, no matter what trial or difficulty comes your way, you'll be able to face it with hope and joy, confident that our loving God will use it to bring about something for your good and to His glory. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!