Romans 8:28 tends to be a verse that Christians know very well. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” However, to understand verse 28, we must first read verse 27, “And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” This verse is so encouraging! God knows all hearts- He knows YOUR heart! He created you, so of course He knows you! Not only that, but He also knows what the Holy Spirit is saying when He is groaning for you. So if you put those two things together, you get a pretty powerful God who knows His people and intercedes for His people!
This thought makes verse 28 a little easier to understand. God, who knows our hearts, intercedes for us through the Holy Spirit, and since He is God three-in-one, He knows what the Holy Spirit is saying and can plead for us in accordance with His will. So He causes all things to work together for the good of us when we love God. That good is in accordance with His will! So He will not work for good outside of His will (and really, is there any good outside of His will)!
These verses are misinterpreted so often to fit the needs of the person who reads it. But we should take hope in knowing that God knows our hearts AND His will and knows what we need. And that is good!