No one who has ever listened to Beethoven’s 9th symphony has thought to himself, “I think each of these musicians is just making it up as they go.” No one who has ever listened to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has thought to herself, “I am pretty sure no one is leading this orchestra.” No one who has ever listened to Handel’s Messiah and heard the swells and strains of the Hallelujah chorus has thought “I detect no sign of a composer or a conductor.” No, where we glimpse such order, where we hear such unified orchestration, we know there is someone who has created it and we know there is someone who is directing it. We know that each of the people in the orchestra is following some kind of a score and responding to the lead of some kind of a director.

In the Bible we read of a God who is sovereign—a God who created this world, a God who is unfolding a plan for this world, a God who is directing all the events of this world toward a great and glorious purpose. The Apostle Paul expresses it in this way: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” As all the instruments in an orchestra work together, so too all the circumstances in our lives. The instruments combine to express the artist’s composition and the circumstances to express the Maker’s providence.
God’s sovereignty is a wonderful doctrine to discuss in a classroom or conference, but a very difficult one to believe in a hospital bed or funeral home. We love God’s providence when it is perfectly aligned with our desires, but struggle with it when it opposes them. We find it easy to believe “all things work for good” when we experience times of joy and brightness, but difficult in times of trouble and confusion.
Yet “all things work together for good” necessarily assumes that some things won’t feel good, that some things won’t look good, that some things won’t strike us as immediately and obviously good. It assumes that we will sometimes wonder how a particular circumstance could possibly prove anything other than evil.
This promise, after all, comes neither in the Garden of Eden nor in the New Jerusalem. God had little need to give this promise to Adam and Eve when they were still unblemished in the Garden. The promise would have meant little to them when they enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God and with one another, when all of creation was arrayed toward them in sweet submission. Of course all things work for good because all things are good! Likewise, God will have little need to reiterate it when we are standing on streets of gold and all pain, evil, and sorrow has been vanquished.
It was only when Adam and Eve were pushed through the gates and into the stark wilderness beyond that such promises became important, for it was only then that they began to experience circumstances that seemed to all the world to be bad and only bad. It’s in a world like this one—a world of suffering and sorrow, of grief and loss, of pain and confusion—that they (and we) need the precious assurance that all things are working together for good. And that’s true even when they don’t feel the least bit good, even when we can’t see even the slightest glimmer of light.
“All things for good” is a promise God’s people must take by faith and cling to with tenacity in times of great difficulty. We need to believe that God has the ability to work all things for good and to trust that he actually is working all things for good. We need to have confidence that he is doing what’s right and best according to his inscrutable wisdom, that he is doing what most conforms his people to the image of his Son and what most honors and glorifies his holy name. We need to depend upon it, bank all we’ve got on it, go all-in on it. We need to set aside our feelings and, by faith, submit them to truth of God’s promises.
Through every circumstance, this promise calls us to believe that a day will come when we will affirm his every decision and marvel at his wisdom in our every trial. It calls us to trust that our sovereign God is the good composer and skilled conductor who is orchestrating all events so they lead ultimately to his glory and our good.

Good morning from Oakville! After a lovely time away, Aileen and I have returned safely and gladly home.

Today’s Kindle deals include just a couple of fairly minor picks (at least for now).
(Yesterday on the blog: No Fear of Old Age)
Orphaned Widow
Patsy writes movingly about being both a widow and, more recently, an orphan (in the sense of being an adult who has now lost both of her parents). “I’m finding it difficult to grasp my new status or describe what it feels like to realize the two people who knew me from the first day of my life and through all the ups and downs that followed are no longer within reach of a phone call or hug.”
Trusting God When Our Children Leave the Nest
Barbara has an article and a poem for the empty nesters.
What was Jonathan Edwards’ favorite book?
Why did America’s greatest theologian call Petrus Van Mastricht’s Theoretical-Practical Theology “much better than any other book in the world, excepting the Bible?” Read the newest volume in this monumental collection, Redemption in Christ, to find out. (Sponsored Link)
Behind the Seen, Providence At Work for Those He Loves
Cara: “No matter what trials or tribulations come our way, God assures us that he is for us and providentially at work in us. Nothing—not peril, decrees, king’s commands, or unexpected life turns—can stand in the way of God accomplishing his purposes for our good and his glory.”
Remembering Dr. N.H. Gootjes (1948-2023)
I appreciate Wes’ remembrance of Dr. Gootjes, a man who was a significant part of my family’s life many years ago.
The Curse Word Isn’t the Most Shocking Part of Philippians 3
This is a good reminder that the infamous “skubalon” is not the most shocking part of Philippians 3.
The Utter Folly of the Cross
Jeremy Treat reminds us of the utter and shocking folly of the cross. We need to ensure we never forget this!
Flashback: When God’s Blessings Flow
Are you in the habit of praying not only for yourself and your family, and not only for your friends and your church, but also for the people around you? Are you in the habit of praying that God would bless and deliver not only you but also others?

The greatness of our sin is always less than the greatness of God’s grace. —F.B. Meyer

May the Lord be with you and bless you on this fine day.

When the City of Man Creaks
I think many of us are noticing the straining and breaking down of systems and wondering what it means. “Progress in the systems we rely on for life necessities or conveniences has been assumed. The pandemic and its aftermath have challenged this assumption and, whether temporary or long-term, the systems around us are showing their weakness.”
Six Questions You Should Ask at the Beginning of 2023
“What I started doing a couple of years ago was to abandon the idea of New Year’s resolutions and instead start thinking about what I wanted to focus on for the next year in early December. Then I started implementing changes that would make progress on my goals before the new year begins. What this allowed me to do was to get out of the habit of thinking the new year would magically change me into a new person.”
A Unique Plan for Reading through the Greek New Testament in 2023
If you know (or knew) Greek, this reading plan exists to help you keep and improve it.
King Charles’s Christmas Message Reflects a Post-Christian United Kingdom
Year after year the Queen gave a Christmas message. But this year, “due to her death in September, it was delivered by King Charles III. His message was akin to the first sermon preached by a new pastor who has succeed a long-serving and much loved predecessor. Charles’s message shed light on the spiritual state of contemporary Britain and on the faith of the King himself.”
Excuse me, may I have six seconds of your time?
“Have you ever considered that six seconds of your life could alter someone’s eternity? A message so simple that a child could understand it is also the power of God for salvation to all who believe.”
“Amazing Grace” at 250 Years Old
Lisa writes about a very noteworthy anniversary—the 250th anniversary of the first singing of “Amazing Grace.”
Flashback: The Half-Trained Dog
We train ourselves for a while, but then grow weary when those last vestiges of the sin refuse to die, or when we realize that sin has much deeper and stronger roots than we had expected, or when we realize that we actually kind of like our sin. We end up half-trained, good enough Christians.

Don’t be easy or simplistic in labeling what a person’s heart is worshipping. You are not on an idol hunt, as if these things could be easily labeled. —Jeremy Pierre & Deepak Reju