Does God Make Everything Work Out for the Best?

Dear Drew Haley,

Thanks for the great question. It just so happens that there is a Bible verse that gives us a very clear answer. In Romans 8:28 we read: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." We learn from this verse that the answer to your question is yes—and no. What I mean by that is that everything works together for good for those who love God. Notice that the promise is only for those who love God. People who do not love God should not expect things to work out for the best in their lives, since God has not promised them that it will. But for those of us who love God, we know that all things work together for good. One thing we need to understand, however, is that not everything in your life will be good. There will be some things that happen that are evil. Some people might lie about you, steal things from you, call you names, or other bad things. The verse does not promise us that God will protect us from every bad thing. It simply says that God will use everything in our lives, both good and bad, to work things out for good, if we love Him. Thanks again for reading Discovery and for sending us your question.

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