Saturday / God Gives Life
Read Psalm 105: 16-21 (NLT)
He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, cutting off its food supply. Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them— Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free; the ruler of the nation opened his prison door. Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household; he became ruler over all the king’s possessions.
Think
By any standard, Joseph had a hard life. Sold into slavery by his brothers, imprisoned unjustly, forced to interpret dreams for an unjust king, Joseph spent much of his time just following other people’s orders. It would have been easy for him to complain; easy to yell at God and complain about circumstances which were out of his control.
But he didn’t. Instead of being angry and complaining about his circumstances, Joseph prayed, asked God for comfort and guidance, and pushed on through the hard times. He just kept on moving in the direction God had shown him, and in the end, God used the circumstances of tragedy in Joseph’s life to do a great miracle for the Hebrew people. Joseph was used by God to save the Hebrew people from famine.
In my own life, I’ve faced hardships and troubles. Nothing as terrible as what Joseph went through, but still tragedy has happened. Early on in our marriage, my husband and I made some poor financial decisions. Eventually we pulled things together and got on track. We were able to buy a house, start a family, keep our heads above water. But jobs were lost, and the economy tanked and soon it became a struggle to pay the bills each month.
Bankruptcy wasn’t something we’d wanted or planned for. We didn’t set out on our life journey together and say, “Hey, someday let’s go bankrupt, OK?” But it happened, and we made it through. We just kept going forward as God directed.
After all these years I can look back and see how God was in the whole process. I can see how clearly God carried us and provided for us. We are so much better off now than we were before. So something that the world looks upon with scorn, God used for our good.
Pray
Dear gracious Provider God, thank you so much for all you’ve given me. Even when things are hard and life doesn’t go as planned, I know you’re right here with me. Please remind me that through your amazing grace and love tragedy can be turned into something that is life-giving. Help me understand, Lord. Help me see my life through your eyes. Bless me with your Presence in every moment of every day. Amen.
Do
Time to get creative. Find yourself a notebook or some blank paper and get comfortable. Think back over your life; When did you suffer a tragedy? Write about the event. Now reread what you’ve written and pray about it. How has God used that to grow something good and life-giving in you? Write the rest of your story, detailing the good that God grew from the bad. If you feel OK with sharing, do it. Send your story to a friend or relative; post it to your Social Media account. Offer it to the world. Let God use your story to encourage others who are suffering now.
The View from Mt. Hope 