How Could This Happen to Me?

March 11

Joseph said to them…"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good."

Genesis 50:19-20

"Satan hopes we will take his bait of offense so that he will have a foothold into our lives."
John Bevere

Ah, the story of Joseph.  The story begins as a travesty and the hurt heightens as this wealthy youngster, betrayed by his own brothers, becomes a faithful slave and is once again deceptively trapped by Potiphar's wife and tossed into the vilest of prison conditions.  My mind has a difficult time comprehending how this fellow kept keeping on with his eyes on God.  Yet, then I think of some current day situations of friends, whom I love, and the depth of their hurt and betrayal by family carries a similar storyline.

Bevere writes a reflection of the probable mental anguish Joseph is in at this point.

"Can you hear his thoughts in the damp darkness of this dungeon? I served my master with honesty and with integrity for over ten years. I'm more faithful than his wife. I stayed loyal to God and my master, daily fleeing sexual immorality. What is my reward?  A dungeon!

It seems that the more I try to do what is right, the worse it gets!  How could God allow this?  Could my brothers steal my promise from God, too? Why hasn't this mighty, covenant God intervened on my behalf?  Is this how a loving, faithful God cares for His servants?  Why me?  What have I done to deserve this?  I only believed I'd heard from God."

If only we can allow our faith to position us to the place where we can look up and see the sovereignty of God.   If only we can remember God's faithfulness to all the generations who have gone before us and believe that being God he can work this together for our God and restore to us what has been lost.

The restoration will most likely not look like anything we could conjure up or imagine, but it will have the look of a work done by God which brings him glory and exceeds our wildest dreams.

Let's pray:

God, we give you praise!  We give your our hearts when they are happy and when they are hurting.  We choose this day to not fall into Satan's trap of offense, but we believe that You are capable of taking what was meant for evil against us and turning it into good for Your kingdom and our lives. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Sing Our God is Greater   www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-6YdT1DEO8