Genesis 37:12-36
Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” – Genesis 50:19-20
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28
Recently, I received something in the mail from our previous alarm company. Seeing the envelope, I said to myself: “Surely, they’re trying to win back our business but we’re not giving in!” As I headed for the trash can, I felt a nudge to open the envelope so I did. Inside was a check from the company. Apparently, we had overpaid for our last month of service with the company way back in 2010. The refund was totally unexpected.
It just so happened that our sons were running out of things and we were trusting God to provide. Needles to say, the refund was enough to buy the much needed items!
What would have happened if I had tossed that envelope into the trash can? I would have missed out on God’s provision!
This incident reminds me of God’s sovereignty. We pray and believe Him for things, but He doesn’t always send the answers in clearly marked envelopes. If we’re not discerning enough, we could lose out on His blessings by resisting His work in our lives.
Many times, we have to go through painful experiences to prosper. Not because God is mean, but because we are His work-in-progress. His end goal is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). He wants our faith to be perfect, lacking nothing (James 1:4).
God has a plan for every one of us that is absolutely fulfilling and helpful to others. However, we have to be prepared to enjoy His blessings.
Take Joseph for example. He had dreams and expected them to happen. If anyone had told him at age 14 that it would take abandonment, slavery, and wrongful imprisonment for his dreams to come true, he probably would have laughed. But it took all those things and a few more trials for him to prosper.
While he found himself in unfair situations, he consistently used his God-given gifts of administration and interpretation of dreams to serve others. For all his achievements, he gave glory to God. He made the best use of his time in Egypt by learning all he could from leaders like Potiphar and the prison warden. This experiential knowledge later helped him when he became second in command to Pharaoh.
At first, Joseph may have found it impossible to see any good coming out of 16 years of pain and suffering. But in the end, he got it. He saw what God was doing all along.
So when trials come our way, do we see them as opportunities to grow our faith and develop Godly character? Or do we say, “Surely, this is not of God,” and toss a potentially rewarding experience into the trash can of despair?
If God has given you a dream, trust Him to bring it to pass on His own terms. He may take you through the valley or cause you to climb mountains. Either way, submit to His will and accept that maybe the trials in your life are His blessings in disguise.
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
…
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise
– Words by Laura Story from the song “Blessings”
No comments:
Post a Comment