Romans 8:28-29
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.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
All things work together for good. Wouldn’t ‘all things’ include the things we want to happen and the things we don’t want to happen? When things come into our lives that we don’t want, we typically call those bad things. If God is good, how can He allow these “bad” things to happen? You may have heard this question or maybe even asked it yourself. People are quick to recite Romans 8:28, but to answer this question properly, we need to include Romans 8:29 as well. We need to understand that God’s ultimate purpose for us is not to spoil us, but to develop us into the image of His Son. We often learn more valuable lessons in the valleys than we could ever learn on the mountaintops and see sides of God’s character in the darkness that we wouldn’t be able to appreciate in the light. We may like to believe that if God pampered us, we would still be quick to trust and follow Him, but human nature never leans in the direction of God. The truth was uttered by David in Psalm 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”
A Tried Stone 