Posted on November 3, 2025 · by Janeal Lischke · Mercy’s Quiet Places
“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.” Romans 8:28
In the northeastern United States, codfish have long been a big business. But years ago, there was a problem. How could they ship them fresh to the West Coast. The first solution was to freeze them, but freezing took away the flavor. Then they tried shipping them alive in tanks of seawater, but that didn’t work either. By the time the fish arrived, they were soft and tasteless.
Finally, someone had a creative idea. They placed catfish, the cod’s natural enemy, in the tank with them. All the way across the country, those catfish chased the cod, keeping them active, alert, and strong. When they arrived, they were as firm and flavorful as when they were caught.
Maybe you’ve got a few catfish swimming in your life: someone who irritates you, challenges you, or just wears you out. Maybe it’s a strained relationship, a coworker who tests your patience, or a season of struggle that won’t seem to end. We don’t like those catfish, but sometimes God uses them to keep our faith alive and our spirit from growing soft. Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things, even the catfish, are working together for our good.
When We Know the Harvest Is Sure
Paul begins with two powerful words: “We know.” Not we think or we hope, but we know. It’s a statement of confidence, not in the absence of storms, but in the certainty of the harvest.
If a farmer knew beyond doubt that his crop would bring the best return of his life, he could face a hailstorm differently. The storm would still come, but peace would remain, because the outcome was already sure.
As believers, we are often most certain about the ultimate when we are most uncertain about the immediate. When life feels out of control and we turn our eyes toward God, a deep, quiet peace takes hold, a peace that the world cannot explain. Our confidence rests not in circumstances, but in Christ.
God Is Working Always
This promise is not a vague “whatever will be, will be.” Paul says, “God worketh.” That means God is personally involved—intimately shaping and guiding the details of our lives. He isn’t distant or distracted. He’s hands-on, working for our good even when we can’t see His hand.
It’s like the little boy who received a puzzle for his birthday. He worked on it all afternoon, but none of the pieces seemed to fit. Finally, frustrated, he handed the box to his father and said, “I can’t do it.” The father smiled, and in just a few minutes had the puzzle together. “Son,” he said, “I could see the picture the whole time; you only saw the pieces.”
That’s exactly how life feels at times. We only see the scattered pieces: the disappointments, the budget problems, the delays, the tears, but God sees the whole picture. Someday, from Heaven’s perspective, we’ll see how each piece fit perfectly into the beautiful design He was making all along.
The Synergy of Grace
Paul reminds us that “all things work together for good.” Not just the pleasant things. The sickness, the grief, the heartache, they all become part of God’s plan. He’s not saying that evil is good; He’s saying that God is so good that He can use even evil for His purpose.
Joseph understood this when he said to his brothers, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.” (Genesis 50:20) God took betrayal and imprisonment and turned them into redemption.
The Greek word Paul used for “work together” gives us our word synergy: different elements combining to produce something greater. Like salt, made from sodium and chloride, each poisonous alone, but together they preserve life. God takes the sweet and the bitter moments of our lives and weaves them into something holy, something good.
“From the mightiest lever to the tiniest pinion,
All things move together for the purpose planned;
And behind the working is a mind controlling,
And a force directing, and a guiding hand.”
Annie Johnson Flint
When the Past Becomes Part of the Picture
As I’ve walked with the Lord, I’ve come to see how even the darkest chapters of my own childhood have become threads in His tapestry. Growing up in an environment marked by fear and abuse left scars that ran deep. For years, I wondered why God had allowed such pain.
But now, as a teacher and principal who spends each day loving children, comforting hurting families, and guiding staff through seasons of hardship, I understand what I could not see before. Those painful years made me sensitive to the brokenhearted. They taught me to recognize silent pain in a child’s eyes, to speak gently when others might scold, and to lean on God for wisdom when life feels unfair.
God never wastes a wound. What once felt like abandonment has become compassion. The hand that hurt me could not stop the hand that healed me, and now He uses that healing to comfort others. Truly, “all things work together for good.”
If you are a parent, grandparent, or teacher walking through your own difficult story, or watching your child face struggles you wish you could erase. remember this: nothing surrendered to God is ever wasted. The hardships that shape our families can also strengthen our faith.
For Those Who Love Him
This promise is not universal; it belongs to those who love God. “To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” When our hearts belong to Him, no pain, loss, or wrong turn is wasted.
Scripture promises, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Think of Job, who lost everything in a single day: his flocks, his servants, even his children. Yet Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Even in his darkest hour, Job trusted God’s unseen hand.
Learning to Trust, Thank, and Persevere
Romans 8:28 teaches us to trust, to give thanks, and to persevere. It teaches us to trust, because the more we lean on the One who never fails, the more peace we find. It teaches us to give thanks: not for everything, but in everything. As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Gratitude in the middle of chaos is one of the deepest acts of faith.
It teaches us perseverance, to keep going even when the pattern makes no sense. God is still stitching.
The Tangled Threads
I love the old story of a minister who carried a silk bookmark with him on visits. One side was a tangled mess of threads, seemingly without meaning. Whenever he visited someone who was grieving, he’d show them that side first and ask what they saw. Of course, it looked chaotic and confusing. Then he would turn it over, and woven beautifully on the front were the words, “God is love.”
That’s life, isn’t it? We see the tangled side. God sees the finished design. One day, He’ll turn it over for us, and we’ll finally see how even the dark threads formed part of His masterpiece of grace.
Romans 8:28 as David Jeremiah once said is “a soft pillow for a tired heart.” If you don’t need it today, tuck it close as you’ll need it one day. Sooner or later, we all find ourselves sitting in that quiet place, needing to remember that all things work together for good to them that love God.
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
— Numbers 6:24–26
Author’s Note
This post was inspired by a message shared by Pastor Jim Fanning of Walnut View Christian Church on November 2, 2025. His sermon on Romans 8:28, and the story of the catfish that keep the cod strong, reminded me how God often uses the uncomfortable things in our lives to strengthen our faith and draw us closer to Him. Just remember, what the enemy meant for harm, God has turned into ministry. May this truth bring comfort and courage to your heart today.