That You May Contribute A Verse

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

For years we have quoted this verse to make ourselves feel better when things don't seem to be going our way:  Our English translations of this verse suggest that God is working behind the scenes, much like the wizard behind the curtain, to make sure the circumstances of our lives somehow end up making sense to us. Our role in the process ends up being passive-we wait and trust God for the good things he promised. It's all true of course; God is good, God is in control, and we must trust Him when things don't make sense. But I believe this verse has a more important message for us.

The Greek word for "work together" used in Romans 8:28 comes from the word  συνεργός "sunergeó" which is often translated "fellow worker" and is used 13 times in the New Testament. From studying the word in context, it is used to describe individuals working together for a common cause. If that is the common understanding of the work and the correct meaning for Romans 8:28, then maybe a better translation is: And we know that God works for good, together with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (my translation). If I am right, then God is calling us to more than passive trust in His goodness. He is calling us to take action. He wants us to be co-laborers with Him to accomplish His good purpose not only in our own lives, but in the lives of others. He wants a partner-someone prepared to contribute a verse to the powerful play of life. What will your verse be?

I found this video on Vimeo. It's obviously a promo video for a sermon series, but it is based on the same Walt Whitman poem and I like it!