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All Things?

             He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, (James 1:2)

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15)

All things? There are some things that I would like, but thank God, God doesn’t give them to me because they wouldn’t be good for me or for someone(s) else. There are things that probably wouldn’t be as dangerous for me to have, but God doesn’t give me those, either. Some things He could give me would be useless to me. There are lots of things God doesn’t give us, because all things doesn’t mean all things, and we wouldn’t want it to. If all things meant all things, after all, it would include nasty, contagious diseases, poverty, broken relationships, and several other tragedies. One is bad enough! Imagine getting them all!

The truth is that all things does include not only the stuff we want but also the stuff we don’t, because He graciously gives all the things that He gives for our benefit and/or the benefit of others. We may know all this, and know that we’re supposed to rejoice when we face trials, but when they come, our bodies and minds don’t scream, “Oh boy! A trial! Just what I’ve been looking for. My family will be so pleased, and my neighbors will be jealous!” Imagine telling a homeless person, or someone with cancer, that God is being gracious to them. In fact, He probably is being gracious, but that’s not how Scripture teaches us to respond.

If we are to weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice, and if we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, it’s appropriate that we should weep and rejoice with ourselves, so to speak. God doesn’t ask us to pretend that everything’s wonderful when it’s not. But He does ask us to understand that what He gives He gives graciously, no matter what it is. We can be thankful even in our tears. We can praise even in our pain. Neither requires that we not feel what we feel, only that we remember that God loves us and is gracious to us, even when the blessing is hard.

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