Message from Tim

For our good?

The news that we are now in Tier 2 will leave many of us feeling bitterly disappointed, since in practice it may not be all that different from lockdown, with the added disadvantage that we have no idea how long these restrictions will last. So, how do you feel? Angry? Dismayed? Anxious? Hopeless? Resigned? Philosophical? ‘What are you up to, God? What is going on?’

Romans 8:28 invites us to look for something good in the midst of trouble. This verse was given to my mother when she was baptised, and she always treasured it as a source of hope in hard times. As a result of variant readings in ancient manuscripts and the finer points of Greek grammar, different translations ascribe varying degrees of agency to God’s role in bringing about something good for his people. The NASB assigns God the role of directly engineering events to ensure a beneficial outcome: ‘we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God…’ In the ESV, God is not explicitly identified as the agent at all: ^‘we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…’ The NIV, however, talks about God’s involvement in what is going on: ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love him…’ In this last translation, God is not dictating everything that happens, but rather working to bring a good outcome from events as they unfold. Which version do you prefer?

I remember talking about this verse with the man who was my church secretary when I was in the Midlands; both his sons died in tragic circumstances leaving him and his wife childless. For him, the only translation of Romans 8:28 that he could accept was the NIV. He could not accept that his loss was something that had happened for his good, still less that God was directly responsible for causing the death of his sons, but he could believe that God was at work to bring something good out of the tragedy that had befallen him. On that basis he was able to continue to trust God and indeed he frequently said that he did not know how he would have managed without his faith.

So, however bleak life may be, can you believe that God is at work in your situation for your good? Can I invite you to consider ways in which he might be doing that? I think Paul’s words are important because they can give us hope. When everything is going wrong, Paul’s encouragement to look for ways in which God is at work can help keep us from succumbing to despair. Just little things can be signs that God has not forsaken you, so take note of them, thank God for them and be aware of the opportunities they may provide for you to do something positive, to cooperate with his Spirit to find ways to redeem what might otherwise be a hopeless situation. In these coming days, may you discover God, helping you to light a candle in the darkness.