Trusting God’s Direction for Our Lives (Genesis 50:20)
By Lynette Kittle
Today’s Bible Verse: “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
When other people are making decisions for our lives, we don’t like it. How can we trust that someone else would know what is best or most beneficial for us? What if they go against what we want to do? What if they choose the direct opposite of what we would choose if it was up to us?
Whether it’s parents, bosses, spouses, educators, or governments, we can feel like the decisions made by others, ones that directly or indirectly affect our lives and futures, have messed up our plans. Decisions that have changed our course in life in a direction we didn’t want to go.
Yet we can look at remarkable stories in the Bible, like the life of Joseph, where it looked like he had little to say in what was happening to him. Interestingly, despite the decisions others were making for him, especially during the most difficult times, it was God who was directing his steps.
With all Joseph endured, Scripture doesn’t record him being upset or worried about the direction his life had taken at the hands of his brothers and others in his life, even though there was much room and opportunity for him to question it.
We don’t read of him wondering why God had placed him in a family where his own brothers would turn against him. The Bible doesn’t record him expressing anger at being sold as a slave, or falsely accused, or thrown into prison.
Joseph could have spent his life blaming his brothers for their evil actions against him. He could have been angry and resentful towards Potiphar’s wife for falsely accusing him of making advances towards her. He could have spent his time plotting revenge towards the chief baker for forgetting about him and leaving him to perish in prison. But nowhere in Joseph’s story do we read where he blamed the actions and decisions of others for his path in life.
Years later Joseph sums up his perspective on his brothers’ actions towards him and most likely how he also viewed the decisions others had made for him. “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).
Like Joseph, instead of looking at all the ways others have interfered, disrupted, and made decisions seemingly detouring the course of our lives in ways we wouldn’t choose, we can believe God has a good plan for our life.
As Jeremiah 29:11 assures, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
And although it may look at times like others’ decisions are setting our course in life and we can’t understand how in the long run, it could all play out well, instead of feeling despair we can believe God is the one who is truly directing our steps.
Like Proverbs 20:24 explains, “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?”
We can choose to trust God with our lives even when we don’t like the decisions being made for us, believing what Romans 8:28 explains. “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.”
Rather than focusing on what is happening to us, we can look to God to give us His perspective on how He is working everything together for our good and His glory.
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, iBelieve.com, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, Startmarriageright.com, growthtrac.com, and more. She has an M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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