Reading 13: Nothing can separate us

All afternoon a little boy tried to put together his birthday gift from his father, a picture puzzle. Some of the pieces were bright, some dark; some seemed to go together, others seemed to fit nowhere. Finally, frustrated, the boy gathered the pieces, put them in the box, and gave it to his dad. “I can’t do it,” he explained. “You try it.”

To his amazement, his father assembled the entire puzzle in a few minutes. “You see,” he said, “I knew what the picture was like all the time. I saw the picture in the puzzle, but you saw only the pieces.” Paul tells us here that God causes all things to work together for good. Those “all things” are the pieces. He then tells us how they work together for the good—according to God’s purpose. That is the picture.

Have life’s difficulties caught you off guard? Are you puzzled over how a frustrating, hurtful, or shocking development could possibly contribute to anything good?

As I look back at my life, I am amazed at how things have turned out. Certainly not what I planned! My life has had times that were very dark for what seemed an eternity. When I look back now, I can see how through these most difficult circumstances, I became so much stronger and able to handle anything that comes my way. I now know that the part of the puzzle I thought was lost, turned out to be one of the most important learning moments in my life. When you are going through a demanding time and you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, count the many ways that God has blessed you. God is working! Believe it. Wait for it. He will show you.

God made the picture your life is composed of, and he will complete it—if you will let him.

Try to define “good” in Romans 8:28. Clearly, it does not mean comfort or ease or health or prosperity. So what does it mean here?

What are some past circumstances in your life that may have been hard, but God really worked for good? In what situations are you waiting to see how God works right now?

Lord, I realize as the apostle Paul did, that I do not know what to pray for as I ought. Thank you for Your Spirit’s constant intercession on my behalf and for insisting that I pray, even when I’m overwhelmed with my failures. Thank You for encouraging me that as I come to you empty, You fill me with Your love. Amen.

–The Rev. Judy Lewis Drysdale is currently pastor at Philadelphia, Dallas. Recently she served as Dean of the Northern Piedmont Conference and pastor of Lutheran Church of Our Father, Greensboro. She has served congregations in North and South Carolina for 28 years. Pastor Judy is a past chair of the Synod Education Committee, serves on the synod’s Renewal Team and Fall Convocation Planning Team.