“My Favorite Bible Verse” -- Romans 8:28
“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.” [NIV]

July 30, 2017


EPISTLE LESSON: Romans 8:28–39 [More than conquerors.]
28 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. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ever since I was young, my favorite Bible verse has been Romans 8:28. “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” [NIV]. It must have been a Sunday school memory verse. I clearly remember that one day, when I was playing in the backyard, trying to pull my red wagon out of the cellar, that I slipped and got pinned by that wagon. “Oh, no” I thought. Then suddenly, this Bible verse popped into my head. “How strange to think of a Bible verse at a time like this,” I thought at the time. “Well, then” I thought, “I guess God will help me get out of this fix.” And he did. And this has been my favorite Bible verse since that day.

I do not know whether I was a naturally born optimist and so this verse fit my personality, or whether this verse has made me into hope-in-God, trust-in-God, believe-in-God optimist. There have been many times in my life when I have been in some sort of a predicament, and this Bible verse has floated into my mind at just the right time. And it has given me peace. There are three parts to this peace.

The first peace is assurance. It is that I “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” That is a promise of God. Therefore I know it, not just belief or hope. I know that the God I love will take care of me, and take good care of me. God does not do it because I am a good person, he does not do it because I love him but rather because he loves me. He takes care of me because I am part of his plan. That is the meaning of the words, “who have been called according to his purpose.” And that makes me feel special. It makes me feel humbled, too. Why should God take care of me, a person like me? Why should Jesus have died on the cross to forgive and save an unworthy sinner like me? Why has the Holy Spirit “called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith” (explanation of the Third Article of the Creed). This is pure Gospel, wholly the work of God.

The second peace is no worry about the present or the future. I may not know how a bad situation will become good, but I know God will take care of me. I “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” I love the words, “in all things God works for the good.” The words “all things” include accidents, sickness, troubles, arguments, my mistakes, my sins, my personality quirks, etc. God can take my mistakes and make something good. He can take my sin and through forgiveness and the work of Holy Spirit bring something good out of even that. Knowing that takes a huge burden off my shoulders.

It even gives peace for my prayers. God does this “for … those who love him.” It is not just for me, it is for all believers who have been called by God. And so I know that when I pray for my friends who are in bad situations, that God will make things good for them, too. Therefore with confidence and hope we pray for their health and happiness and wholeness. We pray for peace. We greet each other with the blessing of peace. We celebrate that we have all “been called according to his purpose.”

This Bible passage is read in our churches once every three years as we read through the Book of Romans each Sunday. So every three years I look back on my life and wonder if it is true that God has made everything good for me. First of all, I am still alive. Some of my pains have gone away. I do not know what good has come from my arthritis, but I thank God that the glucosamine which I take daily seems to help. Maybe it gives me more sympathy for other people. Perhaps the week I stayed in the hospital has been an education about health care. In these three years, have my prayers for others been answered? Some yes, some are still on-going. I have seen sick people recover. There have been happy times where I can see God working for the good of me and those I love. I have seen God working good things in this church.

Speaking of making something good out of a bad situation, remember Jesus on the cross. Cross -- empty tomb. Death -- resurrection. Suffering – love and healing. The sin of the world – God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. And so, when we have crosses and tribulations, we look to the cross of Jesus and his suffering, and we look to his resurrection and victory. This is the source and foundation for our hope and trust in Jesus Christ.

Finally, this Romans 8:28 passage give me peace and curiosity. Yes, curiosity. When I am at my wits end and do not know how to proceed, I start to wonder, “Okay, God, how are you going to get me out of this one? How are you going to make this one good? What miracle are you going to perform?” This curiosity puts some fun into even a harrowing experience.

And of course there will come that time when the ultimate good will come. When there will be release from this world of sin and evil and trouble. It is as the last verse of today’s Epistle Reading says. Nothing can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We will be with the Lord forever.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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