"All things work together for good for them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.

It's one of the most beautiful verses in the New Testament. It invokes a sense of promise and hope and visions of a bright future for those who believe it. However, too many times we fail to grasp the truth of the verse and we struggle through the storms of life on our own, wondering why the Savior has set us in the midst of the wind and thunder; waiting for some spiritual knight in shining armor to come and rescue us form our current dilemma.

The truth is, Romans 8:28 isn't true unless you link it with the preceding two verses. That's true of any Scripture if you isolate it from its context. The preceding verses, Romans 8:26 and 27, basically tell use that we don't know how to pray in circumstances that transcend us. But the Holy Spirit will help us with our prayers, with groanings that transcend our own capacity. He -- the Holy Spirit -- will come alongside of you and me. He will join hands with you, so to speak, in that full partnership where he bears the burden and energizes the prayer. ("And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:27, NIV)

We can't do it on our own. We can't step out into battle and wonder where the hero is. We can't plunge headlong into that storm and then wonder why we're not seeing the sun rise over the horizon.

I recently read a devotional attributed to Rev. Billy Graham. He said he was crossing the North Atlantic once by ship. One morning, as he woke, he looked out his porthole and saw one of the blackest clouds he had ever seen. He was certain that the ship was in for a terrible storm. He ordered his breakfast sent to his room and spoke to the steward about the storm. The steward said, "Oh, we've already come through that storm. It's behind us."

Storms are storms, and we all face them in our lives. Some choose to chase storms while others run from them. Most of the time, we don't see them coming. Sometimes, with the help of the Spirit of God, we pass through the storm without having to face the wind and rain and thunder. We slip through the storm in the arms of God.

With the help of the Spirit, we can know in our heart of hearts that all things do work for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. But we must pray the best we can and then turn it over to the Spirit.