This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki and Saint Luke’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 26 July 2026. The Bible Reading was Romans 8:26-39.
You may want to read this sermon if you haven’t already done so!
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your word.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit,
May You speak to my heart,
And change my life.
In the precious name of Jesus I pray.
Amen.
Introduction
One of the most beloved hymns of all time was written by William Cowper (1731-1800):
- God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm. - Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs And works His sov’reign will. - Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. - Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. - His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow’r. - Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.
Cowper struggled with hallucinations and voices in his head. Today we’d say he was suffering from mental health issues but in those days, he was marginalised, almost criminalised. He suffered so badly that, at times, he was given 24-hour care. But what was it that enabled Cowper to write those words? It was the liberating belief expressed in these words of the apostle Paul: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the God of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ (Romans 8:28).
You might ask: is Paul really serious that God is working for the good of those who love him in all things? That is what he says. What? Even hard and painful things? Absolutely! God uses all of our circumstances to work for our good when we have faith. In other words, God can take the negative circumstances of our lives and use them for our good, especially if using them for good fulfils his will for our lives. It’s like an oyster taking a grain of sand – something that irritates the oyster – but it turns into something of great value, a pearl.
The Example Of Joseph
Take Joseph, for example. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up in jail in Egypt, but God used all of these experiences to prepare Joseph for his ultimate role of saving his family and the people of Egypt from famine. While still in prison, Joseph correctly interpreted dreams for two of Pharaoh’s servants – his cupbearer and chief baker. As the dreams had predicted, the baker was executed and the cupbearer was restored to service.
Two years later, Pharaoh had two dreams that disturbed him, but no one could tell him what they meant. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who told him that God was warning that a famine was coming and that preparations had to be made. Joseph was released from prison and put in charge of the preparations.
When the famine, when it came, was widespread and affected Joseph’s family. The same brothers who sold Joseph into slavery came to Egypt to find food. Joseph still loved them and forgave them. He arranged for all of the family to move to Egypt. Pharaoh promised them the best of the land. Joseph trusted God through many years of hardship, and God worked all of those painful circumstances for the good of Joseph, his family and God’s chosen people in the generations to come.
What Shall Separate us?
Satan has many names and he is often called “the accuser,” but any charges Satan makes against us will never stand up because of Jesus who sanctifies us (makes us holy) and judges us. A believer can never be condemned by God because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are protected by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Anyone who would take away our salvation would have to be stronger than God, and since no one is stronger than God, we can never lose our salvation.
Jesus’ love protects us from the trials of life. Vs35: Who shall separate us from the love of Jesus? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Paul affirms the incredible power of the love of Jesus in Romans 8:25-39. God loves us so much that nothing can separate us from him. God loves us because of who we are – his children (Romans 8:15).
Vs26 tells us that when believers are hurting so much, and can’t find the words to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes with groans that words can’t express. I’m sure each of us have experienced our own ‘dark night of the soul.’ Have I had dark days in my life and ministry? Of course, I have. More than you might expect. It usually involves tears and waving my fist at God asking why.
When was the last time you agonised in prayer? When was the last time you wrestled in prayer? When was the last time you shed tears in prayer?
Paul urges us to recognize the depths of our despair, but we must remember that we are not alone. God is always with us, ‘at all times and in all places.’
I believe hindsight is one of the greatest attributes we have as Christians. I say this because looking back on the Lord’s hand on our lives breathes new life into our weary spirits and those memories keep us going. Everyone struggles sometimes, and some people struggle more than we think. Even the most notable of Christians have times of doubt, fear, frustration, anger, uncertainty and discouragement. But we wouldn’t find those things all the time. We would also find faith, determination, commitment, love, zeal, compassion, and a whole host of other virtues.
God Is With Us Through The Storms Of Life
God will take our negative experiences and use then to shape us and use us for his purposes. That doesn’t mean that God is pleased with all of our negative circumstances. God sees our sin and hates it. I think God gets mad when his people don’t love each other as they should. I think God is distressed when people are persecuted for their faith. God loves us enough to be with us and walk with us when we face the storms of life.
Sometimes we can only learn great lessons of faith when we face difficulties. Illustration: HMP Durham to HMP Wormwood Scrubs!
God’s plans are not always our plans, because his plans carry a greater purpose. Sometimes he has to let bad things happen to us so that our lives and plans are realigned with his plans for our lives. God chips away at our lives like a sculptor chip away at a block of stone. In both cases, excess waste material is removed so we can become more like Jesus.
We do not always know why God allows bad things to happen to us. It is enough for us to love him and know that he is there for us. When we trust in Jesus, we are his forever. Because he paid the penalty for our sin on the cross, we are eternally secure. Nothing can take that away from us, and nothing can take us away from him.
The Choices We Make
The choices we make in life will either make us more Jesus-like or more like the world. The key is how we choose to respond to our circumstances. We have to look at God’s promise that if he is there for us, nothing can be against us. Jesus reversed our condemnation and enabled our salvation, and nothing and no one can undo his work or win a judgment against us.
When we face times of trial, we can turn to God’s Word and ask him for help. God knows our needs. He won’t let anything happen to us without supplying the grace we need to turn the stumbling block into a stepping stone of faith. Hard times can work out for our good, including our failures and our hopelessness.
When our faith in Jesus operates in our lives, we are more than capable of handling whatever approaches us because of what he did for us on the cross. We can live happy, contented, joy-filled lives when we live in his goodness and with him in proper perspective.
When Jesus returns, he will use the consequences of living in a fallen world (8:20-22) such as disaster, disease, death and decay as tools to accomplish his will. We can face life’s trials with the knowledge that God can use our trials for good and make us into something better than we can be on our own.
Conclusion
We must remember that when bad things happen, God is in control. He loves us and allows bad things to happen for his good purpose. People who love God and are called according to his purpose are assured that God will transform a bad situation to bring about a good result. Our spiritual struggle will help us to move toward the greater good of salvation.
Because God raised Jesus from the dead, our present experience of suffering and what we can expect of the future are changed. There will come a time when even the worst suffering we endure now will pale in comparison to the glory that will be revealed to us in heaven.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon (except where stated) is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.
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