September 14, 2020 - LISTEN HERE
Romans 8:28We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
When bad things are happening, it’s difficult to grasp that ‘all things work together for good.’ Since the early part of 2020, we have seen entire industries collapse, millions have become unemployed, thousands of businesses burned and vandalized. We’ve seen our children become pawns in this sinister COVID plot and we’ve had our sense of security and life-rhythm turn upside down.
When God promised to work all things together for good, He didn’t mean that all the things would be easy or good. Some situations and events are decidedly bad. But God uses all things – the good and the bad, weaving them into a good outcome for those who are called by His name. He sees the big picture; He has a master plan. We need to trust the outcome is in His hands, and in His time.
When I think about “staying the course” and trusting God’s outcome “no matter what” what the journey has in store, I often think of the story of Joseph found in the book of Genesis, beginning in Chapter 37.
Joseph experienced a lifetime of bad things. When he was just 17 years old, he was sold into slavery by his brothers. Later, he was thrown in prison under false accusations where he lived in captivity for more than 13 years, until God gifted him the ability to interpret dreams. His skill brought him to the Pharaoh. Impressed, he was given full responsibility to prepare Egypt to be in a state of abundance as the entire region experienced a 7-year severe famine.
When the truth of Joseph’s identity was finally revealed to his brothers, two years into the famine, Joseph said,
“God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God. (Genesis 45:7-8)...You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph trusted God with the Plan for his life. He never questioned the separation from his family, the years of slavery, his duties through the years of famine. He lived faithful to God and to God’s plan until he died at 110 years of age
The story of Joseph inspires is to know that when we are “called according to God’s purpose,” all things will work together for good. God’s plan will not fail, no matter what it looks like in our eyes and no matter how long it takes. When we look at today’s current events and trust God’s ability to see the full length of our life, we can be sure that He is working powerfully on our behalf to fulfill His Purpose.
Today’s Prayer:
Dear Lord, Your Word inspires us every day. Stories from thousands of years ago are as pertinent today as they were long ago. Lord, remove our doubts. Help us to have the courage to trust the plan, Your plan, no matter what it looks like to our human eyes and no matter how long it takes. We may not get what we want, what we ask for, but Lord, we trust that You will grant our requests a “this or something better.” When we keep our eyes fixed on You, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. In Jesus’s name, Amen.