God Uses All Things for the Good

What if the struggle you’re facing is the very soil where your next season of growth will take root? We take a hard look at pain, delay, and unanswered questions through the promise of Romans 8:28, then get practical about reframing setbacks as invitations rather than interruptions. Along the way, we share a personal family story that moved from heartbreak to renewal and reveal the simple disciplines—praise, trust, daily prayer—that shift a soul from surviving to grounded and hopeful.

We start by naming how easy it is to believe that life should be smooth and predictable, and how quickly worry takes the wheel when it isn’t. Then we offer a three-step framework to navigate the unknown: welcome struggles like a wise friend you’re learning from, expect God to work even when the timeline is hidden, and practice trust by releasing outcomes you cannot control. That posture doesn’t minimize pain; it opens your heart to the good that often arrives quietly and later than expected. Praise becomes a practical tool here, shrinking problems from mountains to molehills by lifting our eyes from the seen to the unseen.

You’ll also hear a candid look at a family wound that, over time, sparked a deeper relationship with Jesus, a hunger for Scripture, and a life of service. It’s a reminder that spiritual growth often begins at the edge of our comfort and blooms through steady, faithful steps. If you’re wrestling with a heavy season, this conversation offers a clear path: trade anxiety for presence, complaint for gratitude, and control for trust. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review with the mindset shift you’re choosing this week.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Theme For Today
• 0:38 God Works All Things For Good
• 2:37 A Memory And A Simple Practice
• 2:37 Reframing Struggles As Friends
• 5:25 Trust Over Worry And Control
• 8:45 Praise As Perspective Shift
• 10:55 A Past Wound That Sparked Faith
• 13:50 Closing Encouragement And Next Steps

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:05

Hello, this is Debbie and Greg Gold, and welcome to the You Are Not Alone podcast, where we cover topics that will help you navigate life. And as Christians, we know that we can't do it alone. We need Jesus. We encourage you to join us on the journey that will help you begin or deepen your walk with Christ no matter where you are. Hello and welcome to another uplifting episode of the You Are Not Alone podcast with Debbie and Greg. This week we are going to be looking at the idea that God uses all things for the good to fulfill his good purpose. And actually, I said we, but it's really just me. Um Greg is off again this week, and um he'll be back next week for sure because he's going to be interviewing me about my life. So he better be here. Um yeah, about my life and how my faith has evolved and shaped who I am today. So get ready for that one. It'll be, it should be a good show. Um, but first let's talk about the highlight of the week. I have to say, yesterday I was tickled. I got a picture from a friend of mine that lives out in California. And um, it's a picture of him and I about 33 years ago. And we were um, I lived out there at the time in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we it was New Year's Eve, and two days after that, New Year's Eve, I was going to be moving back to Wisconsin to uh start my uh undergraduate work and social work. And um anyway, we uh we did this cruise in the San Francisco Bay, and it was a picture of the two of us, and it was it was just um it just tickled me just to see what we looked like back then, and um it was you know just a great evening and uh just a fun thing that we were able to do in sort of a great way for me to to leave that um that area which I had been, gosh, I lived there probably 10 years. So anyway, um if you ever get it, if you get a chance today, find an old picture, take a picture of it and send it off to you know, that person, the friend, the family member, whatever, it will make their day. Anyway, okay, so let's go ahead and get started. Um, so do you ever wonder why bad things happen to people or why we go through seasons of struggle or why people hurt or people get hurt? In the Bible, Romans chapter 8, verse 28, in the NIV version it says, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. So God has a purpose for all of us as Christians, and God has the power and the ability to manage every aspect of our lives, and he is also able to make the sufferings that we experience work together for good according to his ultimate plan for us. So I think it's commonplace for us to view our, you know, disturbing situations, our disappointments, our struggles, our interruptions, or our hurts, you know, as a resistance or as it like it's a trial. Oh no, not this, not another thing. Um, you know, those those kind of thoughts that we have. And those times are really countless for me when I I look back, right? They're they happen. Life is not perfect. And I'm coming to really embrace that they are in my life because they are there from God and that there is a reason, and that ultimately God will bring good out of them. So I really want you to encourage, or I really want to encourage you to shift your thinking during those times when you experience a hurt or a struggle or a you know interruption or a disturbing situation. So, what if you did this? What if you welcomed them as friends? Oh boy, that's that's a new concept, right? It's scary. What? I don't want that as a friend. So, but I want to challenge you to look at it that way. That's number one. Then I want you to believe that these are opportunities to see how God is going to work. And that's kind of exciting. It's like thinking about it like, what is God gonna bring out of this that's going to be good and make me a better person, or have a stronger relationship with someone, or learn something about myself. So number one is um welcome these times as friends in your life, and then think about and wonder about the opportunities that God about how God is going to work in your life. And then finally, I want you to trust that in God's time that he will bring you to a place of victory and abundance, that he will enrich you through each problem, every struggle, every conflict, and that you might see your weaknesses, your shortcomings, your sins, your self-centeredness in the process. So, in other words, another opportunities to grow for yourself. So, welcome them as friends. Um believe that these are opportunities to see how God is going to work in your lives and that He's going to bring um, thirdly, He's going to bring victory and abundance into your life. So, isn't that? I think that's just a much better approach than worrying and saying, why me? I can never get a break. Now what's going on here? You know, things are going to happen. We all have a desire for a troubled free life, but the truth is that is just not reality. I used to think that, you know, I was single, it was just me. Seemed like everything was just, you know, would just kind of ride along every day, and nothing was, you know, troublesome and everything was easy. And um, I just don't see that in my life that way anymore. Um so and um so I guess I want to add that God doesn't promise a perfect life, but with him, he promises an easier life. And that is true. So true. And someone once said to me, said, keep your eyes on the unseen and not the seen, meaning keep your eyes on God and not the situations that are staring you right in the face. So, like right now, I'm going through this really difficult time with um my son, and it's been going on for quite, you know, a while, quite a while, a couple years. And um I recently discovered some ways that I could, it just felt like the same things would happen over and over and over. And, you know, as he would say, you know, it feels like you're either happy with me or you're mad at me. Like it was black and white. And it it I said, you know, it feels like that to me too. You're absolutely right. But, anyways, uh recently I've just God has put in my life some opportunities to sort of step away from that um the the chaos of that situation. And um, I'm really feeling um, I'm looking at it this as this is my friend, this situation. And then I know that God's gonna do something good out of it. And um I haven't seen that yet, but I feel like that takes such a relief off me. Like it was very burdensome. And now I feel like I know that good things are gonna come of this, whether that's in our relationship or in myself, or you know, I'm not sure how God's going to put or you know, lay all this out yet, but um, I'm okay with that. I'm finally at peace. So it's because I took a different um view of the situation. And um, yeah, so I hope that is um, I don't know, inspirational to you, I guess. Now I want to talk about trust. Trust can be hard because the unknown is uncomfortable, right? What will the outcome be? When will I see resolve? When will I get relief? When will there be an end? But that is what you have to let go of and trust that God has a plan for your situation. There's no point in worrying. We need to turn it over to God. We have no control over it. So it's better to lit, you know, better to take comfort and giving it to God than um living in the discomfort and the unknown. So I want to um encourage you to praise God instead of worrying. Um, praising, praise God for all the trials that you that you have in your or that come your way. Um, because remember that ultimately these are blessings in disguise. And when you praise God in the midst of your trials, you are co op actually cooperating with his plan. And when you complain, you're resisting. Think about that. God's got something going on in your life, and when you're complaining about it or resisting it, um, you're not following the path that God has for you. So when you offer praise to God, you are actually seeing your problem from a new perspective. And I really want you to think about this. So you start to see your problem as a molehill and not a mountain, right? It's sort of a reframe to see your problem in a very different light. And also, number two, you see them as an opportunity. You see your trials as an opportunity instead of an obstruction or an inconvenience. I was talking to a friend at church recently, and um I was telling him about a situation I'm struggling with. And I shared my belief that I know that God is using this situation for his good and for ultimately my purpose. And he added, you know, he agreed to that, and he added, you know, it's oh if only we knew what the good was and when it was coming. I know that would be so good, but we're not gonna get that. And uh we'll find out when we get there. You know, God doesn't work that way, right? And he just he really wants us to trust him and to have faith that it will come in his timing. Okay, and I wanna, I think, close. I think this would be a good way to close. So I want to last week I talked about forgiveness, and there was a situation that happened in my family. Um, I would encourage you to go back and listen to last week's episode, which was episode uh 11, season two, episode 11. And um I I share a time where I was I felt very wronged by my family, and I was devastated and hurt by what had happened. And um at the time I didn't see any of this, but when I look back, there was so much good that came out of that situation. Um, and I just want to share some of that with you. Uh, it it was really the spark that launched my faith. I had been going to church. Um pretty much that was it, just going to church most Sundays. But this really yeah, launched me, launched me into taking more steps to becoming um a more involved Christian. And so basically I went from a Sunday churchgoer to a believer who really wanted more. I just really wanted more. I wasn't even sure what that was, but I was gonna get more. And I wanted to understand like what the Bible had to say. Like that was one of my cravings. It's like, oh, this Bible is kind of confusing, it's hard to understand. And you know, eventually, as time goes on, you get a better handle on all of that. But the other thing was I wanted to be a better person and I wanted to live a Christ-like life. And then um somewhere along the line, I started praying every day. So I got the concept of doing that and what that meant and how and why it was important. I started serving God through the church and the community, and you know, I think the biggest thing, and we will be talking about this in some upcoming episodes, but uh and most importantly, it was to have a real a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And um there is so that's that that's all that came out of that one situation. That's a lot, and I am, you know, I can look back now and say, I'm so grateful that situation happened. At the time I couldn't see it that way, but now I can because I see the beauty of what evolved. And so um, yeah, that was the catalyst 17 years ago. That happened way back in 2008, and that was the catalyst to bringing me closer to God and changing my life forever. So I think that's our show for today. I'm gonna wrap it up here. I just want you to seek God. I'm telling you, He will not disappoint you. And if you haven't already done so, please visit our website at Debbie and Greggold.com. I would like to ask you to subscribe. And from there, you can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram. Here's your call, your call to action. So we're wanting to understand our listeners better and find out what your needs are and what you would like to see in regard to our show. Um, and you know, I don't know, but anything really. So we just want to hear from you. Um, so go to our website and if you scroll down to the the contact us section, we want um, we would like for you to uh fill fill out that information there and hear what you you would like from us. Also, please share our work with your people because we all need Jesus. Um, and anyway, so we will see you back here, and we meaning me and Greg, or Greg and I, and um thank you, God, for this episode. Remember, Jesus is always with you. You are not alone. We love you and make it a great day.