Many people read this verse as, “Everything that happens is good.”
But that’s not what Paul is saying.
Romans 8:28 does not mean that everything that happens is God’s will,
Christians won’t suffer or that God causes tragedy so He can teach lessons.
Paul acknowledges that life contains real pain,
real loss, and real suffering.
What he is saying is that nothing is wasted in the hands of God.
Even what the enemy intends for harm,
God can redeem for His purposes.
Paul is not talking about a life where everything goes well.
He is talking about a life where God is at work even when things go badly.
So what is the “good”?
In Romans 8:29 when he writes, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,” (NIV)
The “good” God is working toward is not primarily our comfort, convenience, or happiness.
The “good” is that we become more like Jesus.
Romans 8:28 doesn’t promise that everything happens for a reason we can understand.
It promises that God can use everything to grow you.
God will use victories and disappointments,
open doors and closed doors,
joy and heartbreak,
success and failure.
He will use it all to shape your character,
deepen your faith, and draw you closer to Christ.
God doesn’t waste your pain.
He uses it to make you more like Jesus.