First, he was saying that it's God who works "all things
together for good," not that “all things” were doing it under their own
steam. Second, he was explaining how God does this. Specifically, he does it in
collaboration with certain people. He recruits human beings to share in his
purposes in the world.
The foregoing
excerpt is extracted from an article by N.T. Wright published in Time,
which is titled: The Bible’s Most Misunderstood Verse. I have published
things by N.T. Wright on here in the past; consequently, if you have read this
blog for a few years, his name might, at least, sound familiar. He has been a
favorite theologian of mine for quite a while. If one is familiar with the
verse referenced in the extract, it could be assumed that more clarity on it would
be of interest. I will not give much detail on what the author said because I
always encourage reading for oneself; hence, read the full article at the link
below. Blessings!