And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[h] for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [Romans 8:28-29]

“I’ll take it all!” Could you imagine driving up to a drive-thru at your favorite to-go restaurant and uttering those words? There are many good reasons never to do something like that, cholesterol the chief among them. You’d never be able to eat it all, and even if you could, there are probably some things you would never order. That fish sandwich? No thanks. Fake apple pie? Not for me.

There are things we would probably rather leave behind in ourselves, too. (And let’s not even talk about the things we wish could change in others…) Maybe we’d want to change our nose or how tall we are, but all the things on the inside are calling out even more to us. The pride or insecurity, the anger or quietness, the weaknesses or inability to deal with the faults of others… And if we wouldn’t change part of who we are, we would change things that have happened to us. We’d want things to go differently. We would never want to lose that loved one, or take that job, or move to that place, or… fill in the blank. We would never say, “I’ll take it all!” about ourselves.

But that’s exactly what Romans 8:28 is saying to us. God has a purpose for all things in our lives. And God’s purposes are all good. What a contradiction in our hearts and minds! How does that even make sense, all these things we want to change and God is working them together for good? All things… Nothing is outside the scope of God’s plan and God’s grace.

Take a moment and think about all the things you’d like to change about yourself or your life. Those things specifically were put there for God’s purposes. And God’s plan for us might be most clearly seen in the things we would never choose for ourselves.

God knew you before you came into being. And God planned out your life. He called you, made you holy and righteous in Christ, and God will glorify you in the light of Christ. And whether or not you want to say it, God does. “I’ll take it all!” God wants all of you. God loves all of you. God has good plans for all of you.

The question for us, then, is not what should we try to get rid of in ourselves, but rather, What is God doing with all those things we don’t want in ourselves or our lives? What a wonderful question to take to our Lord.

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. [Romans 8:24-25]

How are the studs looking in your house? How about the drywall? What color is the engine in your car? When was the last time you examined the hard drive in your computer?

Often, those things that are unseen by the eye are very important. From cars to houses to our own bodies, we don’t always get to see the parts that hold us up or keep us moving. And if we are seeing them, it’s probably because something is wrong!

The unseen things are of utmost importance. That’s where hope fits in. Like our lungs, which keep breathing even if we aren’t thinking about it, hope keeps our spirit alive and well. We don’t see it, but we know we have life in our bodies because our lungs are functioning. And we know our souls are thriving when hope is working.

What we see in this world can take the wind out of our sails. The realities around us can make us panic and worry. Those things which are so easy to see can hinder us from breathing in hope. The diagnosis, the calamity, the national tragedy, the neighbor’s devastation: things we see have the power to upend the things we cannot see.

But a hole in the drywall is much easier to deal with than a crack in the foundation. God can do all things, and we put our trust in Him. All people are longing for more, and we know where our longings are pointing us- to Jesus. He has placed deep within us an unquenchable hope.

So wait with patience. Even if what you are seeing is not good. Even if what you are experiencing is overwhelming. Jesus has risen from the dead! And He has promised to raise you, too! Your body will be redeemed. Your relationships will be restored. This world will be put right. Have hope! And let’s wait together and be the Church- the visible sign of hope in a broken world.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. [Romans 8:19-22]

My car has some rust on it. I guess it should be expected; it isn’t new. It isn’t even close! It probably won’t be too much longer before something breaks, and a little while after that it will be done. That’s what happens with cars, though. They eventually break down and decay.

It isn’t just cars. It’s “all creation,” as Paul makes clear in Romans 8:20. All of creation has been subjected to futility and decay. Nothing lasts forever, not even people. We can plant a tree that might outlast us, but even that will eventually come crashing to the ground.

What’s the point of all this hardship, vanity, emptiness, decay, corruption, and rot? It is hard to believe, but God uses it to get us to hope in Jesus. All the bad is to ground us in hope. If we looked at the history of humanity and saw only progress and humans continuing to improve in every way all the time, we would be even more self-reliant than we already are. But as we look back in history, we see that all the great empires came to an end. We see that all great leaders died and gave way to not-so-great leaders. We see that corruption and decay and death is a universal problem.

And our universal problem anchors us in the universal hope of the Resurrection. On the 8^th day, the first day of the new week, Jesus rose from the dead as a sign and guarantee that we can earnestly yearn and hope for the same reality.

But our world is still governed by futility and decay. How do we live, then? Well, the same way the creation does: yearning. We yearn for God, earnestly seeking and desiring God’s will and God’s ways. Even if the rust spots shine through or our cars break down, let us yearn for and seek out the Hope of the world.

Dear Father, we experience pain and loss and futility and decay. Yet we know that You are still God. Allow these things to drive us deeper and deeper into Your will. We yearn to see Your kingdom come and Your will be done. Guide us always in the light of Christ, Amen.