Berean Standard Bible
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
King James Version
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.
About this verse
The verb is the load-bearing word: "God works all things together for the good of those who love Him." Works — present tense, active, ongoing. The verse does not say all things are good, and it never asks you to relabel evil as good. It claims a worker: someone weaving even bad materials toward a good end. And it opens with "we know" — this is stated as bedrock the church stands on, not a wish it whispers.
The verse sits in Romans 8, addressed to believers whose sufferings the chapter names openly — and its key term is defined in the very next verse: the "good" toward which all things are worked is being conformed to the image of God's Son. The destination is Christlikeness, not comfort, which explains why the route can include things that feel nothing like good. Note also the address on the promise: "those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose."
This verse has been quoted too quickly at too many grieving people, and it deserves better handling. It is a long-arc promise, best believed slowly. It does not ask you to call your loss good. It asks whether you will trust the weaver with threads you cannot yet see woven.
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