[SDG]

Originally Posted by ReformedDave

Romans 8:26-30 - "26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."



Do we really believe all things work to the good for the believer????

All things work together for good ... for those who are called according to His purpose

Do all things work to the good for the believer????

Many times we only see God's goodness in the form of financial, physical and spiritual blessings in our lives.

But we need to understand that what we deem as good for ourselves is not always what He has orchestrated for His greater purposes - His Kingdom and His Church.

Even when it seems like things aren't good ... behind the scenes our God is working everything together for the greater good.

I am personally only beginning to see this greater good in my own life.

On May 4th, 2005, My Dad and I entered New York University hospital to be admitted for a live liver transplant. My Dad was suffering from chonic liver disease and was in the final stages. Only a transplant would prolong his life and had been waiting for a cadaver for 2 years.

For months I tried to convince him into a live donor procedure and in January of 2005 he reluctantly agreed.

You see ... God had promised Dad that all things would work together for the good, months prior to the transplant ... and so it only felt natural to think that God would answer our prayers through this procedure. Surely, He would answer the prayers of the saints.

After months of testing, the day had arrived, May 5th 2005 ... everything was a go.

I entered the OR at 7 am and Dad would come into the OR at eleven. The plan was he would receive my right lobe .... 60% of the liver and we all would live happily ever after.

After the surgeons made their large incision, and removed my gall bladder to get to my liver ... they then realized I would have 100% complication.

The doctors saw something that they could not see in the CAT scans.
I had a third set of bile ducts that did not fork out into both liver lobes but crossed over ... making an incision almost impossible.

You see .... the psalmist once said "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. ... "

God took us to a place where we thought would be good for own lives .... and we forgot he had a greater purpose planned years before.

They sewed me back up and Dad died 6 months later.

Where is the good in all this ???? It was a question that tortured my mind in the ensuing months ....

What's worst were the post-op doctor visits ... Dad and I would sit with other successful transplant patients while we waited in the lobby. They would tell us their stories with so much joy and oh, how I hated it.

In one post-op visit in July, I remember weeping openly in front of one of the surgeons and Dad in the doctor's office. It was then ... that the surgeon, a believer, looked me in the eye and told me ....

"Dan, you are thread in a beautiful tapestry. You are sitting inside the tapestry and cant see the beautiful tapestry. But if you could step out of the tapestry and see what God has made, you would think differently.

In the last year in a half, we have dealt with grief .... but even in what appears to be tragic, God has begun to reveal His greater goodness for us.

My oldest brother who was backslidden for over 10 years returned to Christ and is living for Him till this day. In my own life, God has broken me in so many ways that I have had to come to a point where I entirely rely on Him .... and I know He's not done.

...and who knows how Dad's passing has impacted, and will impact,the hundreds he touched during his ministry for God's Kingdom.

God's goodness is not relegated to our lifespans, agenda or personal prosperity. We get to see glimpses of his goodness during our lives and for this we are to be thankful ... but as threads we have only a micro myopic view ....

His greater purpose is a beautiful tapestry ... if we could only see His goodness from His vantage point.