Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

This verse shows that as for people who love God, no matter what happens, they will benefit from it. In fact, there is God’s will in the comfortable or difficult environments. For example, Joseph suffered a lot after he was sold to Egypt, but he always revered God. When he was tempted by his master’s wife, he said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Though framed and put into prison, he didn’t complain about God, and was always guided and helped by God. Then he was in charge of the prison. Later, he interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream by relying on God. Therefore he was highly thought of by the Pharaoh and became the prime minister of Egypt. During the famine, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain. He didn’t take revenge on them but said to them, “Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it to good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear you not: I will nourish you, and your little ones” (Genesis 50:19–21). From Joseph’s twists and turns of experiences, we can see that he always had God’s place in his heart. In such environments, he didn’t complain about God but relied on God and understood His will. Thus, he obtained God’s blessings and guidance, which protected him from falling into the temptations and sinning. It can be seen that the ones who love God will surely gain benefits from what happens to them.

In our daily lives, we’ll be faced with many unpleasant things. Sometimes we’ll complain or misunderstand God. If we keep our faith in God like Joseph, seek God’s will, and learn the lessons we should learn, then these environments will be greatly beneficial to us. Just as God’s word says: “If you wish to be perfected by God, you must learn how to experience in all matters, and be able to gain enlightenment in everything that happens to you. Whether it be good or bad, it should bring you benefit, and should not make you negative. Regardless, you should be able to consider things while standing on the side of God, and not analyze or study them from the perspective of man (this would be a deviation in your experience). If you experience thus, then your heart will be filled with the burdens of your life; you will live constantly in the light of God’s countenance, not readily deviating in your practice. Such people have a bright future ahead of them.”

Editor’s Note:

Now disasters are growing in scale around the world. A plague is raging the globe. Thus, many people are panicked and worried, and afraid for their own safety and their family’s safety. Some of us believers fear that they can’t welcome the Lord and will be abandoned by the Lord and fall in the disasters and be punished because they often commit sins and cannot extricate themselves from living in sin. However, some are able to calmly face the disasters, and they believe that disasters are God’s warnings and reminders to mankind and that there is God’s will. So What is God’s will behind disasters? How should we practice in line with God’s will during disasters?