You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Genesis 50:20 NLT
We will all have things that happen to us that are challenging, disappointing, painful and regretful. We may never see the reason behind some of these hardships especially if unwarranted, but we need to remember God has a plan behind it all. If Joseph didn’t get thrown into the cistern and later sold as a slave, what would have become of the Israelites? Nothing escapes God’s knowing. He does know and He does hear our cries amidst the pain.
Application:
Let our focus not be on the pain we are going through, but focus on the One who is with you and has all things working for our good. He will walk with us through that valley of the shadow of death and bring us to the shining light of His promises. We may be clouded by the suffering we are going through. This too, may be a way for God to get our attention and make us move. We need to make a commitment to following Christ even in hard times. We do not know why we may be going through what we are, but God is preparing you for something.
He will need to refine us to strength and purify us for His work. He may even need to break us for us to come to a point where we are shapeable. God’s dream for Joseph needed him to go through much hardship and trial. He would only be ready if he went through what he did. Let us trust God in our hard times and even when we are being disciplined. He loves us so much, that He doesn’t want us to stay where we are. He intends everything for good.
Prayer:
Dear Loving Father, thank you so much for loving us so much and having a wonderful plan for us. Thank you for working all things out for good! Help us to focus our eyes not upon the trial we are going through but upon You. We ask that in our dark times we can sense your Presence near us. We choose to draw close to you. Thank you Father that all this is because of what your Son did upon the Cross. He took on the sins and darkness of the world so that we could be accepted by You as His children. Thank you so much Jesus! I love you so much! In your Name Jesus, Amen!
