God Works to Bring Good Out of Evil

God allows bad things to happen – not because he wills or desires evil but because he believes so strongly in giving us free will.  But he doesn’t stop there.  He invites us to cooperate with him and allow him to bring good out of evil.

Image by Dámaris Azócar, provided by Unsplash via Wix.

In the first article in this series, I explored the dangers in saying, “It was God’s will,” when bad things happen.

In the second article, I explored the various meanings of the phrase “God’s will.”  God sustains the universe and allows everything that happens, but he does not decree or desire that bad or evil things happen.  He permits humans to act in accordance with the free will he gives them, and our actions often fall short of or even directly conflict with what God desires that we do (his perfect will).  This freedom that he gives us allows many wonderful things to happen, as well as bad things.  God prefers the creative risk of giving us freedom to the bland certainty of turning us into robots to whom he dictates our every move.

It is valuable to recognize these important aspects of the complex reality we call “God’s will.” But that is not enough.  It is also important to know what happens next.  When bad or evil things happen, does God just sit idly by and watch it happen?  No.  He remains deeply engaged in our world, and he works actively to bring good out of whatever evil has happened.

But the outcome often depends on whether we are willing to cooperate with him.

God brings good out of evil situations, if we are open to his work

When Jesus encounters a man born blind (John 9), his disciples want to focus on who is to blame for this man’s blindness – was it his sin or his parents’ sin?  Either option is really saying that God made him blind.  Jesus rejects that thinking: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned” (John 9:3).

Jesus does not offer an alternative explanation – could you imagine him trying to explain the genetic mutations and congenital abnormalities that cause a child to be born without normal vision?

Rather than focusing on who or what is the cause, Jesus instead focuses on the opportunity it presents for God to act.  Jesus tells them that this man is here in front of Jesus “that the works of God might be made manifest in him” (John 9:3).  Every situation we face is an opportunity for God to work.

Jesus heals the man; the man becomes a follower of Jesus; and the man then tells the story of his healing fearlessly as the unbelieving authorities interrogate, challenge, and belittle him.  His story has inspired millions of people for 2,000 years.

The apostle Paul also focuses on the question of what happens next when he observes that “to those who love God, God works all things together for good – to those who are being called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).  He does not say that the bad things are God’s will, but only that God acts to bring good out of bad for those who are willing to embrace his purposes.

In the Old Testament, Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery.  But Joseph eventually reaches a similar conclusion about God's role in his life.  When his brothers seek food in Egypt during a famine, they discover that it is Joseph who holds the highest government position under Pharaoh and serves as the administrator of the program he designed to ensure that people can have food.  Joseph saying to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to keep many people alive, as they are today” (Gen. 50:20).

God did not will the evil.  His brothers willed evil.  God allowed that evil but desired good.  God desired to save people through Joseph, who was called to achieve God’s purpose.  Because Joseph was faithful and cooperated with God, good came out of the evil done by his brothers.

Now go back to Romans 8:28 and notice Paul’s confident use of the word “all”: “God works all things together for good” for those who respond to God’s call.  There is no situation so bad that God cannot bring some good out of it, with our cooperation.  That does not mean the bad is nullified – the pain, the loss, the waste is not undone.  But God brings a new ending to the story.

We create opportunities for God to act by cooperating with him

God often waits for us to participate in bringing good out of a bad situation.  We see this in the Gospels.  Sometimes, Jesus requires people to take a step to participate in their healing: “Arise, take up your mat, and walk” (John 5:8); “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7); “”Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded” (Matt. 8:4).  If they had not cooperated by following his instructions, there is no reason to think that they would have been healed.

God often waits for us.

Sometimes the good we seek does not happen even when we cooperate with God.  God often allows the world to follow its natural course without dramatically intervening.  People hurt other people, and God does not stop them.  Broken relationships remain broken and God does not magically repair them.  People pray for healing and often remain sick.  The poor seek help and often do not find it.

In those situations, God is still ready to bring some good out of the evil – not through a dramatic healing but in more subtle ways.  He wants to work his peace deep into our spirits despite broken relationships, to minister to others through us even in sickness, to shine his light to others even in our poverty.

Every situation is an opportunity for God to do some good work.  When we are willing to be a channel, he will always flow into the situation in some way.

Nonbelievers often do not see God at work in their lives, so they assume there is no God.  The explanation is clear in Romans 8:28: God works all things together for good “to those who love God . . . to those who are being called according to his purpose.”

If you do not love God, if you have not embraced his call and his purpose, it will not be easy for God to bring good out of the bad you face.  Why?  Because often, your participation is essential to the transformation.  If you have not committed to God’s way of doing things, if you do not love him, you will not be where he is, sensitive to his promptings, and ready to do what he wants you to do.

Without your openness to the working of God, things often just don’t happen, because God does not force himself on people.

What bad things are you dealing with, and what good might God desire to bring out of it, if you are open to his work?

Everyone has bad or even evil things happen in their lives from time to time.  If you want to see the hand of God at work, you might want to explore two questions with God in prayer:

• What are you facing that might be an opportunity for the works of God to be made manifest, for God to work for good in the situation?

• How might God want you to cooperate in his work in the situation?  What might he want you to do?

When you are in one of those situations, it can also help to discuss it with others who love God.  Others can sometimes help us see what God may be trying to do.  In fact, God might want to do some of his good through them.  So don’t be afraid to ask others to help you discern the good God may want to do in your situation.