Joseph said to them,”Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid, I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them, and spoke kindly to them.” Gen 50:19-21 (NIV)
You are ready to go out for the evening, and the phone rings. Your plans are left in tatters with news of something which changes everything. You go to the doctor for a routine check up, and leave the surgery knowing that life will never be the same again. A yearly visit to the school to get your child's report, results in you having to reassess their capabilities. We don't take too kindly to our plans being changed. Plans which we felt were for the best, and maybe even had prayed for. But who really knows best?
If you have never read the book, “God Meant it for Good” by R T Kendall, I would recommend you get a copy and read it cover to cover. It follows the story of Joseph, and the verse quoted comes from a key part of the narrative. Maybe you have never done this, but I have questioned God's leading, direction, and wisdom when He has stepped in and intervened in my life. Complaining does no good, and changes nothing. But I don't see the end from the beginning, and I don't see the bigger picture from God's viewpoint, so how can I possibly judge? Joseph was well within his rights to question God's judgement, but he didn't. He said, “but God meant it for good”!
It takes us a long time, sometimes a lifetime, to get to the point that Joseph reached, and he didn't even have the benefit of Jesus' life recorded for him as an example to follow. We do, and still we struggle! I am constantly reminded that I must “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk” if I am to be the kind of Jesus follower who can be called a Christian, by those who watch from the sidelines. Whatever happens in and around my life, there should always be a moment when I realise anew, “but God meant it for good”!
Jesus take the wheel
ReplyDeleteTake it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on.
- Carrie Underwood.
Sometimes our biggest problems come from holding onto the steering wheels of our lives too tightly because we think we know best. It's not until we realise that the reason nothing is going right is because we insist on doing it ourselves, that we see perhaps He can do it better. I for one find it difficult to lean on anyone other than myself. Even on my Saviour, because that way, I stay in control (of my very own mess). To say "Thy Will be Done" is impossible sometimes. Because what if his will is not mine? I know what I want - but what if God has a different plan?
When I complain about him not fixing things, he tells me this:
As children come with broken toys
with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God
Because he was my friend.
But then instead of leaving him
In peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help
With ways that were my own
At last I snatched them back and cried
HOW COULD YOU BE SO SLOW??
"My child", he said, "what could I do?
You never did let go".
It's a steep learning curve. I can't deny it.
Do all the things which happen in the course of my life really tie in with a greater plan? Does God mean them for good? Apparently so. I won't understand that in this lifetime tho.
Thank you, Anonymous for a heartfelt comment. This is a well worn road we are on, and we are not the first to trek it, nor will we be the last. A steep learning curve you say? Lets focus on the 'learning' and not the 'steep' if we can. I also love the verses.
ReplyDeleteThanks, PicsMPhoto.