Throughout the past few months, our church has experienced many high and low situations. From unexpected deaths, serious accidents, and surprising illnesses to miraculous healings, incredible testimonies, and a beautiful wedding between two amazing people, we have seen it all. There were feelings of great sadness followed by exceeding joy. It truly has been a roller coaster of emotions.
What has occurred in our church is a reminder how fragile this life really is. Up one minute and down the next. There are times when things seem bleak or impossible and other times when you’re on top of the world. Life happens, as they say. Some things we may never truly understand. One thing we should all know and take solace in, however, is that our Heavenly Father is in complete control of it all and always has our best interest in His heart to carry out His plan for our lives.
A remarkable example of this truth is the story of Joseph found in the book of Genesis. His brothers became very jealous of his special relationship with their father and it was brought over the top when he was gifted a specially-crafted garment. They ended up throwing him into a pit and then sold him into slavery in Egypt to Potiphar, one of King Pharoah’s ministers. A while later, he had to deal with false accusations by Potiphar’s wife and ended up in prison. This was one of those times where things looked bleak and impossible. You might even ask God why He would allow this to happen? It’s definitely beyond our understanding. Our Father, like He always is, was in complete control here and had a plan. Joseph became the warden’s right hand man and interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and baker in the prison. Two years later, God allowed him to interpret the dreams of Pharoah, who was so impressed, that he appointed him second in command of all of Egypt. During the famine, Joseph’s brothers came to buy grain, not knowing it would be from him. After Joseph revealed himself and forgave his brothers, they felt great remorse and had a wonderful family reunion. Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh would later become two of Israel’s 12 tribes.
That whole situation was wild and could have been handled much differently by Joseph. He could have grumbled and complained and had a horrible attitude throughout the years. Who could blame him? Praise The Lord that he maintained a steadfast faith, even when he had no idea why that was happening. He took comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father was in complete control and His plan was carried out.
Now, we will probably never experience a crazy situation like Joseph did, but we have and will experience our own difficult circumstances throughout our walk with Christ. There will be times when we question why God is allowing certain things to happen, times when we feel defeated, confused, frustrated, and maybe even want to throw in the towel. Those times should serve as a reminder for us to fall on our knees and seek The Lord’s counsel, recalibrate our thoughts to His thoughts, and draw strength from His Word. Then, and only then, can we develop the mindset and faith of Joseph.
I pray that we can all walk in that truth today and meditate on the words of Paul in Romans 8:28, which says:
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. (NJKV)
Amen!
Wayne Errig