All Things Work Together - Romans 8:28
Last night as I went to pray, I remembered what we had discussed about the Spirit guiding our prayers and I tried to at least feel what I should say, and it went interestingly, in a good way. But I had a crazy night so I didn’t put too much effort into it because I was exhausted. I definitely related to the part of verse 26 which says “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” There is so much of my life where I can’t even put it to words how I feel, and sometimes I can, but I can’t convey the depth or urgency in which I harbor those feelings. But I believe that Heavenly Father can feel the anxiety in my soul even when I can’t express it and can only feel it, and that’s exactly what Paul says here.
I love all these concepts, but I struggle to see how they are all connected, like how do the ideas in this letter flow together? Paul makes an interesting statement about the will of God saying, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” This is what Jesus tells Joseph Smith while he was captive in Liberty Jail as recorded in D&C 122 which really gives a detailed overview of basically the worst that could happen to someone, and how God will make it all work out for the best. After listing the very worst that this world has to offer, culminating with “if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.”
The IM quotes Elder James B. Martina as teaching, “The Apostle Paul taught an interesting lesson only a few years before the Saints in Rome were to face some of the most violent persecution of any Christian era. Paul reminded the Saints that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God.’ Our Heavenly Father, who loves us completely and perfectly, permits us to have experiences that will allow us to develop the traits and attributes we need to become more and more Christlike. Our trials come in many forms, but each will allow us to become more like the Savior as we learn to recognize the good that comes from each experience. As we understand this doctrine, we gain greater assurance of our Father’s love. We may never know in this life why we face what we do, but we can feel confident that we can grow from the experience.”
This can be a difficult concept when we consider the horrors of rape or mutilation or abuse. How does experiencing those atrocities bring us closer to God? How do we become more Christlike by experiencing terror of that magnitude? I guess the first question is, why am I asking? Am I asking because I believe and I want to understand? Or am I asking because I want to understand so I can believe? I might not get how it works right now, but can I believe that all theses experiences are for our good?
I think that I can believe that, and here’s why: I know that through the Atonement, Jesus experienced every single second of our lives, every feeling, every event, every emotion, every anxiety, every pain. Because I know that he has felt everything EXACTLY as it happened to us, I can know that his compensation will be able to heal us. I used the example last time of a car accident victim that was paralyzed and given some money for compensation, but that wouldn’t be a fair analogy because the giver of the recompense doesn’t know how the receiver feels. But in this case, Jesus knows exactly how we feel, he knows what is adequate and what is not, he can give and we can know that it is enough, but all the horrible things that happened to us, happened to him too, all of them, not exceptions.
I mean, really, this concept can send us into a rabbit hole because we can think back on anything that has ever happened to anyone, even the worst thing that we’ve ever heard of, and know that Christ experienced that too. One of the biggest breakthrough moments in my life was when I realized that Jesus felt and experienced my whole life, all my heart ache and pain and abuse and fear and feelings of guilt and inadequacy, everything. There was nothing and there will be nothing that will happen to me that he has not already experienced in complete detail and depth. That was so powerful to me because I knew that this meant that any guidance he gives me or commandments or promises, he knows exactly how important those things are to me. And then if we consider that he did the same thing for everyone that has ever lived, we can just begin to fathom the depth and breadth of the atonement.
The IM quotes Elder James B. Martina as teaching, “The Apostle Paul taught an interesting lesson only a few years before the Saints in Rome were to face some of the most violent persecution of any Christian era. Paul reminded the Saints that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God.’ Our Heavenly Father, who loves us completely and perfectly, permits us to have experiences that will allow us to develop the traits and attributes we need to become more and more Christlike. Our trials come in many forms, but each will allow us to become more like the Savior as we learn to recognize the good that comes from each experience. As we understand this doctrine, we gain greater assurance of our Father’s love. We may never know in this life why we face what we do, but we can feel confident that we can grow from the experience.”
This can be a difficult concept when we consider the horrors of rape or mutilation or abuse. How does experiencing those atrocities bring us closer to God? How do we become more Christlike by experiencing terror of that magnitude? I guess the first question is, why am I asking? Am I asking because I believe and I want to understand? Or am I asking because I want to understand so I can believe? I might not get how it works right now, but can I believe that all theses experiences are for our good?
I think that I can believe that, and here’s why: I know that through the Atonement, Jesus experienced every single second of our lives, every feeling, every event, every emotion, every anxiety, every pain. Because I know that he has felt everything EXACTLY as it happened to us, I can know that his compensation will be able to heal us. I used the example last time of a car accident victim that was paralyzed and given some money for compensation, but that wouldn’t be a fair analogy because the giver of the recompense doesn’t know how the receiver feels. But in this case, Jesus knows exactly how we feel, he knows what is adequate and what is not, he can give and we can know that it is enough, but all the horrible things that happened to us, happened to him too, all of them, not exceptions.
I mean, really, this concept can send us into a rabbit hole because we can think back on anything that has ever happened to anyone, even the worst thing that we’ve ever heard of, and know that Christ experienced that too. One of the biggest breakthrough moments in my life was when I realized that Jesus felt and experienced my whole life, all my heart ache and pain and abuse and fear and feelings of guilt and inadequacy, everything. There was nothing and there will be nothing that will happen to me that he has not already experienced in complete detail and depth. That was so powerful to me because I knew that this meant that any guidance he gives me or commandments or promises, he knows exactly how important those things are to me. And then if we consider that he did the same thing for everyone that has ever lived, we can just begin to fathom the depth and breadth of the atonement.
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