Work It For Your Good

The Mississippi Mass Choir sings “Work It For Your Good,” a traditional gospel song that answers despair with a promise. It begins with the voices that say all hope is gone and a person who cannot find the strength to fight on. The choir replies that God can and he will work it out.

The second verse describes the weight of life's trials and a person who looks for friends and finds no one around, but the same answer follows: he will work it out for you. The chorus then tells those in trouble that there is no need to fear because the Lord is here, and that he is more than able to fight every battle and dry every tear. It adds that it is no secret that God will pull you through, since he has the power no one else has. A later verse tells listeners not to be dismayed, because the God the choir serves will provide. The ending repeats a short call and response, with the leader saying that God can and he will. The big choir sound and the plain words make the song a favorite for services when members are facing illness, unemployment or loss. It gives the congregation something to say back to the problem, and it keeps the focus on what God does rather than on what the singer can manage on her own.

All things working together for good is Romans 8:28. What was meant for evil being turned for good is Genesis 50:20, and deliverance from many afflictions is Psalm 34:19.