Watson's devotional answers the many who ask, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The author meditates on this passage from Romans 8: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." As the passage implies, Watson reminds his readers that while the godly may face harm, God uses that harm for their ultimate benefit according to his purposes. Even hardship and suffering become opportunities for Christians to strengthen their relationship with God. Later publications of A Divine Cordial bear the title All Things for Good, better representing the book's contents to modern readers.