“Trust God Through the Process”
By Dianne Prince
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20, NASB).
The life of Joseph is a powerful example of “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” The story of Joseph gives us the reason we should always submit to what God allows. In our scripture today, Joseph has been lied on by Mrs. Potiphar. He is now in prison for a crime he did not commit. Joseph did not understand why he was going through what he was going through. Nevertheless, He buckled down and lived an upright life. Unbeknownst to Joseph, he is in prison as part of God’s divine plan to save God’s people from destruction. And he would experience many more disappointments—disappointments that were orchestrated by the very hand of God—before he would reach the destiny God laid out for his life.
What about you? How many disappointments have you experienced? How many times have the unexpected happened to you in the midst of you doing the right thing? Only God knows the “why” of these questions. He is the only one who knows the destiny He has for you, the road He will allow you to travel, and the number of delays he has set up along the way.
As Joseph remained in prison, God was busy putting people, events, and circumstances in motion to position Joseph to save His chosen people. In due time, Pharaoh would have a dream. The cup bearer would recall meeting Joseph in prison and his ability to interpret dreams. And Joseph would be released at Pharaoh’s command. When God’s timing was exactly right, Joseph was ultimately appointed second in command over all of Egypt. And it was all because God had a plan to save the lives of Jacob and God’s chosen people from the famine that was in the land of Canaan. God was using Joseph for that very purpose.
If you are struggling with a situation you do not understand today, be encouraged. Know that the time is “not yet” for you to be delivered. You can be confident that what you are experiencing is part of the plan God has for your life. Like Joseph, make up in your mind to trust God. Let God have His way. And keep getting up every morning with a heart of thanksgiving, a mind of gratefulness, a spirit of praise, and an attitude of service. In due time, God will connect the dots and the reason you are going through what you are going through will become clear. And when you are delivered, like Joseph you can say, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
