The God of the Bible is a God of intention, even when it involves accidents or mishaps. God has a purpose and a plan, and he is always a giant step ahead of evil, using it to serve his purposes.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a lesson from Genesis 50.
And it’s a Bible verse you’ve read many times; I know you’ve probably drawn comfort from it, especially when you’ve gone through accidents or mishaps. So listen closely. After all the terrible problems in his life, many of which were caused by his brothers, Joseph says to his family in verses 20-21, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Man, I draw inspiration from that story, because although he was never paralyzed like I was in that diving accident so many years ago, I resonate with Joseph. A lot of things that happened to him could be construed as accidents. There were plenty of unfortunate mishaps, unexpected twists and turns in Joseph’s life, like being tossed by his envious brothers into a pit and left to die. But later on – after more mishaps – Joseph tells his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good so that others might be saved.”
Now, I like that word “intended.” The God of the Bible is a God of intention, even when – and perhaps especially when – it involves accidents or mishaps. Because even with unexpected twists and turns, crazy unforeseen calamities that are perpetrated upon us by evil people, God still has a purpose; he’s got a target, a goal, a plan. The brothers of Joseph acted in a very evil manner; their intentions were bad, but God was a giant step ahead of Joseph’s brothers, aborting their evil motivations to suit his own purposes. God permits all sorts of things he does not approve of, and the life of Joseph is a great example, because even though God may have frowned on the evil deeds of those brothers, Joseph’s problems did not catch God off-guard, presenting him with a situation he wished would never have happened. No, from the beginning, God calculated for Joseph to experience all these things. And why? Verse 21 explains it: for the salvation of others.
And this is why I identify with Joseph, because I can see now how my accident – as terrible as quadriplegia is – I can see how God has used it for the salvation of others. When I laid on that hospital bed years ago, depressed and despairing, God’s intention was that through my wheelchair, somehow, some way many more people with disabilities would hear about Jesus. And the same is true for you, no matter what your injury, illness, or terrible mishap that has happened in your life, because God is not a sweep-up boy who follows you with a dustpan and brush, second-guessing how everything’s going to fit into a divine pattern for good.
No, he does not put on a hazmat suit so that an evil situation does not contaminate his holy reputation. Think of disappointing or bad things that have happened to you. God’s hands stayed on the wheel of your life from start to finish so that everything follows his intention for you. This means your trials have meaning – more meaning than you can possibly realize. Your problems have more purpose than you can imagine, not because God merely used bad things, but because God intended them for the salvation of others. Friend, he purposed your problems so that others might be brought to Jesus through your example. So today, look for ways that you can introduce others to Jesus through your story. Like Joseph from old, let your trials be a platform so you can showcase the reality of the Gospel. That’s your good word today from Joni Eareckson Tada sharing hope.
© Joni and Friends