When Days Feel Bad, God Still Has a Purpose
Can you imagine being a privileged child whose father dotes on you? You have everything you need as your family is prosperous. Blessings abound. This should have been a good start to life – after all you’ve got it made.
Old Testament Joseph was such a child; however, his father had a large part in making Joseph a target of disdain by his brothers. His father treated him differently and even had an ornate robe made for him. Scripture tells us of the reaction of Joseph’s brothers:
“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” (Genesis 37:4 NIV)
So, Joseph already has relationship issues with his siblings, but he makes it worse as he shares some dreams where his family would be bowing down to him. Can you imagine the hatred simmering in that household?
It puzzles me as to why Joseph would incite further hostilities with his declaration of his dreams. Why create further relationship issues?
But God has a plan in mind. God needs Joseph in Egypt. God works through the animosities in Joseph’s family to have Joseph sold as a slave. Where does he end up? Egypt.
Through these terrible circumstances that Joseph endures, he is used by God for great things. Many survive a great famine in Egypt and surrounding lands because Joseph was in leadership and had followed God’s guidance to save grain for future need.
We all have days that are less than stellar. Circumstances get tough, relationships go awry, work situations get stressful, finances become an issue, etc. While we don’t always see it at the time, God is still working in our lives and hearts even when things aren’t at their best.
If we are looking, we can see that God doesn’t desert us in troubled times. His presence is ever near. Through these circumstances, He has a plan for us. Often, challenging times mold us into stronger more capable people. Sometimes difficult things in our lives cause us to reevaluate and take on a new direction that God wants for us.
Maybe God has something new for you to do that He has groomed you for through your life experiences. Perhaps your parenting issues or job strains that you have survived can help you to minister to someone in a similar circumstance. Maybe the wisdom you’ve gained from certain life experiences can benefit others.
Paul speaks of this in his writing to the Corinthians:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV)
We have a choice to make. We can sit and stew in our bad circumstances or we can look to God to find a way to make our life challenges count for something. I know that is difficult to do when you are in the midst of things that turn your life upside down. Staying close to God at these times will help us gain perspective and perhaps even a new approach to the situation or a way to reach out to others because of it.
God does use us in ways we don’t expect. I pray that we can be open to His leading throughout whatever life throws our way.
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