In difficult times, we take comfort that all things work together for good. We are intended to know and rejoice in this truth. Perhaps we grit our teeth and carry on knowing that God will work in the end. Or perhaps we give out a sigh of comfort, feeling safe in the Father’s care. But we try our best to trust.
Too often, however, we stop with verse 28, and that’s a mistake. The fact of God’s care is intended to point us to the purpose for God’s care. God doesn’t want us only to rest in His care but to go forward in greater unity.
God’s purpose in caring is to create the body of Christ, an eternal fellowship of all believers across all ages and from all places who are united in Christ who is the “firstborn” among them all. In simple terms, God cares for us because he cares for our fellow believers and intends to link us together in unity, love, and glory.
My grandson understands that because his parents love his sister, he must love her, too despite their frequent squabbles. It takes a while for this lesson to sink in, but in the end it does. So it is with Christ. If you understand that He cares for your fellow believer, you, too, will care for that person.
That is why He cares for you in all things — so you can care for your fellow believer in all things. When you do that, you put Him first, others second, and become an encourager among the members of His body.
Lord, thank you for caring for me so carefully and faithfully. Who among the many brothers and sisters in your body may I serve today? Show them to me clearly. Amen.
Go Deeper — Consider how God has cared for you recently. Is he asking you to care for someone else in the same way?