The Way Forward - Detours, Delays and the Goodness of God
Detours, Delays and the Goodness of God
Life rarely unfolds the way we expect it to. The journey from where we are to where God wants us to be is filled with unexpected twists, setbacks, and challenges that can leave us questioning His goodness and plan for our lives.
Why Life Never Goes According to Plan
The path from point A to point B in our spiritual journey is never a straight line. It's filled with detours, delays, distractions, disappointment, and pain. There are mountain peaks and valleys, good days and bad days - often three steps forward and two steps back.
This reality can be discouraging when we're trying to move forward into freedom, transformation, and the purpose God has for our lives. We need something more than human perspective to navigate these challenges without losing heart.
What Is God's Providence?
Providence is God's ability to orchestrate the events of history and the individual choices of the entire human race - both good and evil - to achieve His ultimate plans and purposes for our good and His glory.
The word "providence" comes from two Greek words: "pro" (forward) and "vide" (to see). Literally, it means "to see forward." God can see what's around the next bend when we cannot. He knows the future and the end from the beginning.
Developing 50:20 Vision
While 20/20 vision helps us see clearly in the physical world, we need what could be called "50:20 vision" for our spiritual lives. This comes from Genesis 50:20, where Joseph tells his brothers: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good."
Just as physical vision can deteriorate gradually, our spiritual vision of God's goodness can become blurred through trials and hardships. But with the right lens - faith in God's providence - our vision can be corrected instantly.
Learning from Joseph's Story
Joseph's life provides one of the clearest examples of God's providence in Scripture. His story shows us that our lives are one overarching story made up of many individual scenes.
The Danger of Scene-Based Thinking
We often make the mistake of interpreting our entire life story based on the current scene we're living in. When we're in pain or difficulty, our view of life shrinks down to the size of our discomfort, and everything gets focused on the suffering.
Joseph's life included many dramatic scenes:
The Favorite Son: Loved by his father, given a special coat, and receiving dreams from God
Betrayal and Slavery: Thrown into a pit and sold by his own brothers
Success in Potiphar's House: Rising to a position of authority and influence
False Accusation and Prison: Maintaining integrity but suffering injustice
Forgotten in Prison: Helping others but being overlooked for years
Exaltation to Power: Becoming second-in-command of Egypt
The Space Between Promise and Fulfillment
Twenty-two years passed between God's initial promise to Joseph (through dreams) and its fulfillment. That space was filled with mountains and valleys, good moments and bad moments. Yet God was working throughout the entire journey.
Was Joseph Sold or Sent?
When Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers in Genesis 45, he makes a remarkable statement: "I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don't be afraid... It was God who sent me here ahead of you to save your lives."
Was Joseph sold by his brothers? Yes. Was he sent by God? Also yes. God took the harmful actions of the brothers and worked them together for everyone's good - including saving the very people who had betrayed him.
From His Hand or In His Hand?
It's crucial to understand that God never does evil things. As James 1:13-17 reminds us, God is never tempted to do evil and never tempts anyone else. Whatever is good and perfect comes from God.
The evil things that happened to Joseph - the betrayal, false accusations, and injustice - were not from God's hand. But they were in God's hands, and He worked them all together for good.
Personal Application
That diagnosis wasn't from God's hand, but it is in God's hands
Getting laid off is in God's hands
When loved ones make destructive decisions, it's in God's hands
When you've been overlooked or forgotten by others, God hasn't forgotten you
The Ultimate Example: Jesus Christ
Joseph's story points us to an even greater truth. Jesus Christ was betrayed and sold for thirty pieces of silver, just like Joseph. The very people who crucified Him were the ones He came to save.
God took the most evil action in history - the death of His perfect Son - and redeemed it for the greatest good in history: the salvation of all who would believe in Him. This is the ultimate proof of God's providence.
Life Application
This week, practice developing 50:20 vision in your current circumstances. Instead of allowing your view of life to shrink down to the size of your discomfort, choose to look by faith for what God might be doing behind the scenes.
Remember that you're living in one scene of a much larger story. The scene you're in right now - whether good or difficult - doesn't define your entire life. God is writing a story that you can't see the end of yet.
Questions for Reflection:
What current "scene" in your life is tempting you to lose sight of God's bigger story?
How might God be working even in the difficult circumstances you're facing right now?
What would it look like for you to trust God's providence this week, even when you can't see the full picture?
Are you focusing more on what appears broken in your life, or are you looking by faith for what God might be building?
Setlist
WFC Lenexa + WFC Anywhere
Graves Into Gardens - Elevation Worship
I Know A Name - Elevation Worship
King Of My Heart - Bethel Music
O Praise The Name - Hillsong United
WFC Speedway
Faith And Wonder - Upperroom
Trust In God - Elevation Worship
Goodness Of God - Bethel Music
Be sure to save our Spotify Worship Playlist, updated weekly with the upcoming Sunday’s set!
