And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, and it was a time for us to remember and reflect on all the many benefits and blessings that God has given to us. One of the things I want us to bring to mind is this concept or doctrine of concurrence that is actively working in our lives. It is something we can add to our list of things to be thankful to God for.

Father, I thank You and I praise You for Your goodness, Your mercy, and Your grace. I thank You for Your great salvation that You have bestowed upon us. Thank You for choosing us. Thank You for taking us out of darkness and bringing us into Your marvelous light. Lord, we take this time to remember You — Your goodness, Your grace, and Your mercy, and all the things You are doing behind the scenes, unseen. Everything is going to work out for our good and for Your glory. We thank You and praise You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The scriptural foundation for this teaching comes from a very familiar portion of Scripture. We have quoted it and said it many times, but today we will look at it more deeply. Romans chapter 8, specifically verses 18 through 39, gives the full context of our focus. This scripture strengthens our faith and gives us hope during difficult and challenging seasons.

It encourages us to know that in all things that are happening in our lives, God is working them together for good — for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

The Amplified Version says that God, who is deeply concerned about us, causes all things to work together as a plan for good.

Providence refers to God’s purposeful sovereignty in sustaining, cooperating with, and directing all creation. It is God seeing to everything — absolutely everything that needs to be done to bring about His purposes. God says in His Word, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose.” In other words — He will see to it.

This is where we get the idea of Jehovah Jireh — God will provide. He will see to it that everything works together for the goals He has for the world.

Providence is understood in three parts:

• Preservation — God sustaining all things.
• Concurrence — God working through all things.
• Government — God directing all things.

God continually upholds the existence of all creation — humanity, animals, plants, the atmosphere, the universe — everything. Every breath reminds us that we are dependent on God’s sustaining power.

We cannot breathe, walk, talk, or do anything without Him. He holds everything together in seasons and cycles and is intricately involved in all He created.

God cooperates with His creation in every action. He directs outcomes to fulfill His divine purpose without removing human responsibility.

God is present in every decision and every event. This encourages prayerful planning and responsibility, and it brings comfort during suffering.

A biblical example is Joseph. His brothers intended evil against him, but God intended it for good. Their will and God’s will were working at the same time — yet God’s purpose prevailed.

We also see this in Job. The enemy wanted to destroy him, but God allowed it to work for Job’s growth and God’s glory.

Different challenges arise — from the enemy, from people, from circumstances. Some want to destroy us or discourage us, but God is working through it all for good.

That is why we confidently declare:

All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

God is actively involved in every detail of our lives. He uses human choices — even wrongful ones — to fulfill His plan. Our suffering is not wasted. Our story is part of a larger divine narrative. God is the main character, not us.

Be encouraged this morning — no matter what you are facing, God will work it out. We can be assured that He is working all things together for our good and His glory. Amen.