"The Enemy Intended to Harm Me, But God Intended It All For Good"

A few years ago, a good friend showed up at my door with tears in her eyes and these words on her lips, "Liz, I am SO discouraged. Why is God allowing me to be persecuted this way?"

As we sat down, I listened to the struggles she had been experiencing.....very public struggles....and I couldn't help but smile when she finished. Yes.....her struggles were BIG. They were EXPOSED. She was being lied about.....persecuted really....and she struggled to understand why the God she loved so much would allow this to happen. I smiled because it meant she was doing something RIGHT. She was a threat to Satan. Her very public LOVE for God was getting on the evil one's last nerve. He was ticked off cause he was losing people because of this girl's strong and very evident devotion to her Father.

I reminded her of Genesis 50:20: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for GOOD to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

See, I've clung to this scripture since December 27, 2015. It's been my "Go-To" scripture after God repeated it to me over and over and over that dark night in the rain. It was the only scripture I heard.....and I couldn't have told you where to find it or even the story behind it. But I can now. The story is about Joseph....a man loved dearly by his father...despised by his brothers....and sold by those very ones who hated him so. Fast forward 22 years.....Joseph is now running the country....he's in charge. And Joseph says this to the brothers who tried to kill him, "God sent me here. God did this. God is protecting you. (through me)". In other words,

"There's more to our story than we can see."

We know the feel of a famine, don't we? Like the brothers of Joseph, we've found ourselves in dry seasons. Max Lucado once said, "To the degree that we BELIEVE and ACCEPT God's vision for our lives, we WILL get through life. When people chunk us into the pit, we WILL stand up. God can use this for good. When people sell us out, we WILL climb to our feet.

GOD WILL RECYCLE THIS PAIN."

(Originally from April 27, 2016 Growing Seeds)