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 (NIV)
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
Joseph’s life experiences in the book of Genesis are an example of how God can work things out for our good. As a young man, he grew up having dreams. At 17 years, hell broke loose on him and he found himself in the hands of strangers who ended up selling him to Potiphar’s house where he also became a victim of unjust imprisonment.
But while Joseph was in prison, the Lord was with him. He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. God took the disorder sown by the devil upon the life of Joseph to fulfill His purposes through Joseph’s life. All that happened to Joseph in prison was God’s preparation for him to rise up to a higher rank of service in Egypt – an indication of God’s good intention for His people in any crisis including the pandemic we are experiencing now.
It is important to note the following:
- In every challenging season we go through, God’s good intention is to shape us to become who he intends us to be.The experiences Joseph went through at the hands of his brothers and the Midianite merchants, as well as in Potiphar’s house and even in prison, explain how God uses challenging situations to produce persevering people that have hope in the promises of God.
- There is no situation that has the power to destroy you.
We serve a mighty God who will not allow the intentions of your enemies to be fulfilled. He will turn the tables around for you so as to glorify himself through your life. - In every crisis, there are opportunities for good.
Joseph, at Potiphar’s house was raised to be a leader, in prison he was an interpreter of dreams and in charge of other prisoners. During such challenging times, we need to pause, reflect and re-evaluate, asking God to open our eyes to the opportunities that we do not see. There is a miracle in every storm and Christ is in every crisis. God will not lead us to a place where his grace will not keep us. Recognizing these opportunities in a crisis will enable us to be better today than we were yesterday and to be better tomorrow than we are today.
Eunice Monda – Kenya Programs Coordinator