Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”- Genesis 50:20
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”- Romans 8:28
Insight: I love the stories in the Bible where God takes seemingly impossible situations, or terrible injustices, and turns them into great victories. Who doesn’t like the redemption story of Joseph, who’s brothers unceremoniously sold him into Egyptian Slavery, only for God to pull him out of a prison cell after being falsely accused bY Potiphar’s wife of sexual harassment, and place him in power as the #2 in Egypt that would not only save his own family, but millions of others from starvation through his shrewd food management program. God took what seemed like the most unfair and unjust situation for Joseph and used it for His glory, and Joseph’s redemption. In a moment Joseph went from prisoner to the 2nd in command of all of Egypt. We can learn a lot from stories like Joseph’s to remember that God always gets the final say, and God isn’t bound by our limited understanding of how He is using all circumstances to unfold His greater plan. He truly takes what the enemy means for evil, and He turns it for good. This story below is another example of how we must learn to change our rapid response reactions to seemingly bad situations and learn to see all things as for our good, even when they seem bad, because the God we serve is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. He is above our situations and He can turn lemons into lemonade at any time.
A tribal king had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) as well as the lives of others and remarking, “This is good!” He based it on two scriptures: one that says that it is God’s will that we be thankful for ALL circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18); and Romans 8:28 which assures us that God can turn every situation (good or bad) into ultimate good. The king loved his friend’s positive outlook and took him with him wherever he went. One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. As the king fired his gun at a pheasant that flew up from the long grass, the rifle backfired and blew off his right thumb. Looking at the king’s bleeding hand; his friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” The king was angry and replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail for his insensitivity.
About a year later, the king was hunting all alone in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, and were going to cook him in a big pot. As they set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb on his right hand. Being very superstitious, cannibals never eat anyone who is less than perfect. So they released the king.
Walking home he kept staring at his right hand without a thumb. “This IS good!” he said out loud. He was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his shabby treatment of his friend. So he went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
“You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.” “No,” his friend replied as usual, “This is good!” “What do you mean, ‘This is good?’ How could it be good that I put my friend in jail for over a year?” “Well,” replied his friend, “if I had not been here in jail, I would have been out there with you!” What a great reminder this is of how to view all of our situations through a lens of God is doing good for us even when our situations look bad!
Prayer: Father God, You alone can turn what seems bad and use it for good. Help us to see all things that happen to us as potential instruments You are using for good, even when they seem bad in our limited understanding. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen!
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