God Squeezes Good from Bad
Where is God when… ? - Part 3
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Romans 8:1-39; Genesis 50:20
We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (CEB)
Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:
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Last week we explored the nature of God’s uncoercive and uncontrolling love. Because love cannot coerce or force itself on another, it is impossible for God to singlehandedly prevent evil, particularly when that evil results from the choices of free-willed human beings. Yet we can also say that love always works for the good, for the flourishing of humanity and of all creation.
We can think of countless examples of people who have suffered tremendous evils in their lives and came out must stronger on the other side. Victims of abuse may stand in the gap to protect others or care for others who have gone through similar trauma. Someone whose child was killed by a drunk driver may become an advocate to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Even if a person who has suffered doesn’t end up doing something so great and public, there are many who look back on their pain and trauma as an experience that shaped their character, that made them stronger, and potentially enabled them to do things with their lives they never dreamed possible. Perhaps this is your story too.
This is where God’s best work comes in to play. God is always creating and re-creating, renewing, restoring, healing, and making whole what is broken. It does not mean, as so many have claimed, that the tragedy or suffering was a part of God’s plan in order to bring about this better outcome. If suffering and evil is part of God’s will or God’s plan then to work against it would be to fight against God.
A loving God never causes pain or suffering. But God’s love always works to squeeze every possible good out of even the worst situation. Not every evil can be redeemed, even by God, but as Frederick Buechner says, resurrection reminds us the worst thing is never the last. God is always weaving the bad into good.