Romans 8:28 is a verse that gets misused and misquoted often. Here is what it says, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”. A better reading would be: “God works all things to the good to the ones loving God.” The focus is on God, not “all things”.
With the devastating tornado that just ripped through Oklahoma, some might be tempted to try and make sense of it by saying, "God will work this out for good. He will bring something good from it" - and I believe He can and will, BUT some will imply that God is the one who caused the tornado; that He had some predestined plan to wreak havoc on Moore, Oklahoma in order to teach them something. I'm sorry - I don't buy it.
We live in a fallen, broken world. Evil and sin are rampant. This world is not God’s kingdom. It is under the authority and influence of Satan. The Bible calls him the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). He plays a major role in the sufferings and bad things that happen to us – however, he is not all-powerful and certainly does not have final word. But for now we experience suffering, hardships, tornadoes - (this is not how it will always be) and Paul is writing to believers in Rome to reassure them of a future glory. (Read Romans 8 sometime)
But someone might argue: "Jesus Christ controls the wind, including all tornados” and support this claim by quoting Mark 4:41 in which Jesus’ disciples ask; “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” What’s interesting to me is that the disciples make this remark in response to Jesus having just rebuked a threatening storm. If Jesus was already controlling all storms, why on earth would he need to rebuke this one? Even more interesting, Jesus “rebukes” the storm by commanding it to be “quiet.” The Greek term used here literally means “to muzzle” or “strangle,” and its the same word he sometimes used when confronting demons. The implication is that, far from suggesting that Jesus controls all storms, the passage actually suggests that at least some life-threatening storms have a demonic power behind them that resists God’s good purposes. (thoughts from Greg Boyd's book "God at War")
Satan's time on this earth is coming to a close. He knows it and is steaming mad. Revelation 12:12 says, "Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time."
Revelation 20 goes on to tell what will eventually happen to this "snake". Verse 10 says, "And the devil...was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever".
Let's remember to pray for those affected by the storm. May God pour out comfort and hope to them, knowing that He can and bring something good out of that which Satan meant for evil.
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