You may have heard someone say, “God will turn this thing meant for evil into something good.” Often, they'll refer to what happened to Joseph in Genesis 37-50. In case you are not familiar with that story, Joseph was the 11th of Jacob's twelve sons and obviously his favorite. His brothers were jealous of him and sought to get rid of him. They ended up selling him to a caravan of Ishmaelites heading to Egypt and he was in turn sold as a slave to one of Pharaoh’s officials.
But God intervened and, even after more injustices were thrust upon him - including false accusations and time in jail - Joseph became second-in-command in Egypt.
But that is not the only example we have in the Bible.
Here are a few others:
Pharaoh commanded that all Hebrew male children be drowned in the Nile River. Moses’ mother set him adrift in a basket covered with tar in hopes that someone would find him and raise him. But God intervened and Pharaoh’s own daughter raised him (Exodus 2). Later, God used Moses to free the Israelites from their bondage under Pharaoh.
Haman built a gallows to hang Mordecai and his fellow Jews, solely because he hated Jews. But God intervened and Haman ended up being hanged on his own gallows (Esther 7).
Job was a righteous, God-fearing man whom Satan attacked. He lost everything – his children, his wealth, his social standing. Even his wife turned against him. But God intervened and ended up giving him twice as much as he had before – including twice as many children (Job 42).
Naomi lost her husband and two sons and became a very bitter woman. She decided to return to Israel, her homeland, and die there alone. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, would not leave her side. Penniless, Ruth would glean the harvested fields in hopes of finding enough food to feed them both. But God intervened and Ruth ended up marrying Boaz, a wealthy landowner, and she became the grandmother of the future King David (Ruth 4).
Saul was given permission to jail Christians and even oversaw the stoning of Stephen. But God intervened and, on his journey to Damascus to carry out part of his diabolical plan, he met the Lord and was converted. He changed his name to Paul and became one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever seen (Acts 9).
The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem wanted to get rid of Paul by holding a mock trial with the intent to kill him. But God intervened and, as Paul appealed to Caesar, he was able to preach the gospel to many people and high officials that would not have had the opportunity to hear it, including Caesar himself (Acts 21-28).
There are other examples, but because of space, I will stop here. The point is, no matter what your situation, God has the final say. He has a plan for you and no one person or situation can interfere with that plan. “'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” (Jeremiah 29:11). Don’t let people or situations steal your joy. Remember that He who holds the future is the same One that holds your hand!
Comentarios