The Hidden Purpose of God

There is a story told by the Chinese philosopher, Lin Yu Tang, about an old man who lived with his son. One day the old man’s only horse wandered off and was lost. The man’s neighbors told him how sorry they were about his misfortune. The old man said, “How do you know this is misfortune?” Later that week the horse came wandering back, bringing with it an entire herd of wild horses. The neighbors ran over to help the old man corral the horses, and they congratulated him on his good fortune. The old man said, “How do you know this is good fortune?” Later that week, while riding one of those horses, his son was thrown off and his leg was broken. The neighbors came over to express their sympathy for his misfortune. “How do you know this is misfortune?” said the old man. Later that week, a Chinese warlord came around and conscripted all able-bodied young men to fight for in a private war he was waging. He passed over the old man’s son because of his broken leg. The neighbors came over and congratulated him on his good fortune. Well, this story could go on and on, but you see the point. Only when taken together did all the events work for the good of this elderly man. In other words, it is only when taken together that the events of our lives work out according to God’s purpose.

This Sunday, we are going to be looking at one of the hardest scripture passages in all of the Bible to understand and embrace as Christians. It is from Romans 8, specifically, verses 28-30, where it says, “All things work together for good.” It is a difficult theological doctrine to wrap our minds around, as it speaks of the providential nature, sovereignty, and purposes of God.

So, please join us this Sunday, May 24, at 10:00 am, via Zoom. Hopefully, we will be technologically glitch-free, so that we can all worship together. 

Pastor John