All Things Work Out For My Good

Romans 8:28 ~
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Life is full of ups, downs, unexpected turns, and unplanned changes. We experience pain, disappointments, and difficult choices. We can’t always see or understand right away why things are happening as they are. I have to remind myself often that ALL things work together for my good always. I love God and I am called according to his purpose.

This verse took on new meaning for me in my early twenties. I was raped by an ex-boyfriend. It happened in the middle of a cold winter’s night. I was lured outside before I knew what was happening. I won't go into full details here, but it is what happened during this experience that makes the difference in this story.

The guy overpowered me even though I fought back. He got my hands tied. He got on top of me and began strangling me. I would slip in and out of consciousness while he was having his way with me. Finally, I just wanted it to stop. Things begin to get a bit fuzzy here. It was as though I willed my spirit from my body to escape it.

An angel stopped me when I was outside of my body. He said, “Stop, it isn’t your time to go yet!”

I talked with the angel for a moment, and he asked me, “Do you want to see yourself as God sees you?”.

I said, “Yes!”

Immediately, I was transformed from wearing a nightgown to a pure white robe. Under the robe, I was completely covered in the blood of Christ. It was in my hair, up in my nose, in my ears, in my eyes, and not one place was left uncovered. Out of instinct, I reached up to wipe the blood out of my face. It only smeared. Then I realized I was fully washed in the blood of the lamb. It wasn't something that could just be easily undone.

Smiling, the angel said, “No man can pluck you out of God's hand, not even yourself.”

Things get a bit fuzzy again here. All of a sudden, my current boyfriend showed up and pulled the guy off my body. They began fighting. Eventually, the current boyfriend overpowered the ex-boyfriend. Somehow, I ended back up in my body gasping for air.

I don't remember much after that. I was told later that the ex-boyfriend only spent three weeks in jail for his act of violence towards me. I was in shock and a daze for several weeks after it happened. I don't know exactly how long it was after the event that I finally snapped back into reality. All I know is I had seen a guy that looked like the ex-boyfriend at the technical school I was in at the time, and the memory and realization of what had happened to me came flooding back. I went home and cried and finally began to process it all.

This event, as horrible as it was, turned out for my good because I was able to fully experience what it was like to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. It built character in me. It completely changed my life in more ways than I can mention here.

There are many examples in the Bible where unpleasant events happen for the good of God's people. The example that stands out to me most is the story of Joseph. His brothers sold him into slavery. In the end, he was promoted to the second in command in the land of Egypt. He was able to save many people from a huge famine including his brothers who had sold him into slavery. He was able to forgive his brothers because he realized what they had meant for his harm, God had planned and used it for good of many people.

Another memory takes me back to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. This was my senior year of high school. I heard many stories about how people were late to work that day and lived as a result. A cousin would have normally been at work in the Journal Records building across the street from the Federal Building that was bombed. However, she happened to have to be at the courthouse 5 blocks away. If she would have been in her office at work, She may have been hit by broken glass and shrapnel as the windows were blown out of her office.

In my own life, when bad things happen, I remind myself of Romans 8:28. Time and time again I have seen this verse lived out. God is good all the time, and always has my best interest at heart.


Notes ▼

Word count 806

"MARCH's PROMPT"
"What verse do you use to get you through those tough times? "

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The cover picture was taken by me of an evergreen tree in a snow storm.