A Prayer for Choosing to Believe God Is Good

　　By Brooke McGlothlin

　　“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28

　　An absolute bundle of nervous energy, she sat across from me in the small counseling room, trying to wrap her mind around the positive pregnancy test confirmed on the sheet of paper in front of her. Her stress had everything to do with her stage of life and the total and radical shifting of priorities and plans a new baby meant. Instead of the freedoms of retirement calling her name, long, sleepless nights, tantrums, diapers, and the realities and risks of being an older mom now loomed in the not-so-distant future. She’d been living happily in one reality, and now a new one inserted itself into her life without permission…or so she thought.

　　“I’ve never been a fan of…well…that option…” she said, “but I just don’t know if I can do this again. What if something’s wrong with the baby? What if it affects my health negatively? What if having this baby makes it harder for me to take care of the children I already have?” These were the questions plaguing her, and I understood completely. With only a few years between us, I knew that her fears would be my exact fears were I to find myself pregnant and expecting a child in my mid-forties.

　　As I listened to her rattle off statistics about all of the things that could possibly go wrong, a small question began to form in my mind. When she paused to take a breath, I looked at her and quietly asked: “Do you believe God is good?” As a professing Christian, she quickly said yes. But then I asked her a follow-up question: “If the very worst possible scenario were to happen with this pregnancy, would you still believe God is good and that His plans for you are good?” And then she began to cry.

　　Romans 8:28 is a familiar and beloved verse to Christians around the world. Most of us can quote it word-for-word and often do, especially when things don’t seem all that good. I remind myself frequently that the words “all things” really do mean all things. God works the good, the bad, and the ugly together for our good when we belong to Him. But it isn’t really the words “all things” that I struggle with about this verse. No, if I’m honest, I struggle with another word entirely: “good.” Most of the time, I have to face the fact that what I define as good may or not be what God defines as good, and sometimes it takes what seems bad in the moment to produce a greater good God wants to work in my life for His glory.

　　Let’s pray:

　　Father, I believe You’re good and that Your plans for me are good, but in the heat of the moment, I often confuse my definition of good with Yours. Help me to see the circumstances of my life through the lens of Your Word and to remember that I can trust You no matter what comes my way. Make me confident in Your goodness so that I can live in a way that others see You in me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.