Has something in your life taken a tragic and unexpected turn? Maybe it’s the death of a loved one or a divorce, or maybe you were betrayed by someone you thought was a friend. It’s hard to find God’s providential plan when your life is falling apart. But rest assured, you are not alone, and often God uses life’s valleys for His glory.
There are many biblical figures who have grappled with trying to understand God’s plan in the midst of trials. David had to flee to escape King Saul’s wrath, but God ultimately restored him as king. Job was blameless and upright, yet God allowed Satan to test Job, taking away his health, wealth and even his children.
Despite the trials of His people, God continually shows His faithfulness – and one of the most noteworthy bearer of trials and recipient of God’s grace was Joseph.
On a recent episode of Core Christianity, Dr. Michael Horton used the life of Joseph as an illustration, as he answered the question, “Does God really work all things together for good?” Mike said,
God is not causing wars. God is not causing violence. God is not causing us to give in to temptation. And yet, God takes these things which are not His responsibility and turns them to our profit and to His glory. He’s already determined what He will allow in this world, and He won’t allow anything that He hasn’t already determined to use for our good and His glory. That doesn’t mean our short-term good, but working it together for our good means for our ultimate salvation. You see that with Joseph. .. His brothers throw him into a pit that turns his life in a terrible direction, and yet God raises him up and makes him prime minister of Egypt so that even their lives are saved during the famine…And he says to his brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” So even when evil is intended by other human beings toward us, God allows it because He has a different purpose for that event.
As a Christian, it is so comforting to know that even in the midst of suffering, God’s redemptive plan of salvation is at work. Trials are unpleasant, but through those experiences, we become more Christlike through the process of sanctification.
Each weekday on Core Christianity, Mike Horton and Adriel Sanchez provide solid answers to biblical questions, ranging from entry-level to seminary level.
If you’d like to know more, let me know!
