I never thought about Romans 8:28 in this way until recently. It says that God “causes all things [our suffering] to work together for good.” It doesn’t say, “for OUR good.” I think that’s because our suffering is not always exclusively for our good, but for the good of others. For instance, in 2 Kings 5, a little Hebrew girl was captured by the Arameans and became their slave. As awful as her situation was, God providentially used it to heal Naaman’s leprosy and more importantly, convert him to God (2 Kin. 5:1-19).
Joseph experienced a similar situation. He was betrayed by his brothers, sold into Egyptian slavery, ended up in prison, and then became second in command of the Egyptian empire. God used Joseph to help Egypt and eventually give the Hebrews a better place to live. Joseph was aware of this when he told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Gen. 50:20).
And how about Paul? Although he was persecuted by the Jews and ended up in a Roman prison, he said, “My circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the Gospel.” (Phil. 1:13). One of the proofs of that greater progress is Onesimus, who was converted while Paul was in prison (Philem. 1:10). God used Paul’s suffering for the salvation of others!
Much more could be said about how God used someone’s suffering for the salvation of others. Truly, He “works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Eph. 1:11). Maybe you’re suffering right now. What if God is using you as a vessel of the Gospel? You might just be someone’s connection to Jesus!
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