Why are we told that God will use our trials for good? What if someone has hurt us terribly or meant it for evil? What good can possibly come from those kinds of trials? And what is required of us for good to come from them?

Also, why is it so important to guard what we put into our hearts and minds? And what did Jesus mean when He called us to “take up our cross” and follow Him?

We’ll look at these important subjects in today’s post.

Welcome to Soul Survival where I blog through the Bible in a Year along with Bible studies and other Christian living posts. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each Bible in a Year post. And … this year I’m also reading through the Bible on YouTube. You can check out my channel here. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up.

Today’s Readings:

Genesis 49 & 50
Psalm 14.1-7
Proverbs 4.20-24
Matthew 16.1-28

What Good Can Come from Trials?

Genesis 49 & 50:

Last Words

Before we talk about our trials and any possible good that could come from them, a few thoughts about these last two chapters of Genesis. I hope you have enjoyed the first book of the Bible as much as I have. Genesis is one of my favorite books.

In chapter 49 Jacob is dying and he gathers his sons around him to speak to them for the last time. Commenting in-depth on what follows in Genesis 49.2-27 would require more time than I can give here. But remember, God, who knows the end from the beginning, was speaking prophetically through Jacob. The things he spoke foretold future events, but also reflected each of his sons’ characters and their pasts.

But let’s take a minute and read back over his words to Judah in chapter 49.

When We Repent & Go His Way

8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.

The Messiah was to come through the tribe, or descendants, of Judah and much of this speaks prophetically of Him. But as you think about Judah remember this is the man who in Genesis 38 married a Canaanite woman, slept with his daughter-in-law Tamar because he had mistaken her for a prostitute, and then hypocritically condemned her to death.

But God was working and when he was confronted with the truth about Tamar, Judah said, “… She is more righteous than I …” (Gen. 38.26). He quickly admitted his sin and repented.

In Egypt, we get another glimpse of the change in Judah. When it looked like Benjamin was going to be arrested, Judah volunteered to take his place!

This should give us all hope that God can and does change people. It should also give us hope that He can use us despite the mistakes we have made if we repent and go His way.

The Death of Jacob

Genesis closes with the death of Jacob and a new set of worries for Joseph’s brothers. The old fears came back. They wondered if Joseph was just waiting for their father to die, so he could seek his revenge.

Genesis 50.17 says that Joseph wept because they still didn’t get it. His response is one of the classic passages on the sovereignty of God:

Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive (Gen. 50.19-20).

So what about the trials we face? Is God’s sovereignty at work when someone hurts, abuses, or abandons us? Is God at work when we find ourselves in the midst of a test or trial? If so, what good could possibly come from those things?

Our Unchangeable God

God has not changed. Just as He did in Joseph’s life, He promises to cause everything in our lives to work together for good.

²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Rom. 8.28-29 NLT).

“God causes everything to work together for good …” and, as my husband says, “Everything means everything!”

While God does not cause anyone to sin (Jas. 1.13), everything includes the sinful acts of others. He can and does use them for His good purposes.

Everything includes our families of origin, who we’re married to, the children God has given us, our in-laws, our gifts and talents, the way He made us physically, where each of us was born, and every test, trial, and difficult relationship. It includes everything we face and everything about us (Ps. 139.13-16; Acts 17.22-28).

Look at Joseph’s family. Besides his brothers’ mistreatment, he had an imperfect father whose favoritism contributed to their hatred (Gen. 37.3-4). There was also polygamy and rivalry between his father’s two wives, Rachel and Leah, and a host of other family issues (Gen. 29).

But that didn’t stop God from using it all for good or from fulfilling His purpose in Joseph’s life.

Now let’s talk about the ultimate good.

Trials and Our Ultimate Good

God can use our trials in many different ways but the ultimate good is how He uses them to conform us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8.29).

James said it this way:

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (Jas. 1.1-4).

Perfect and complete refers to spiritual maturity or as Paul said in Romans, conforming us to the image of His Son. It’s what was going on in Joseph’s life as he learned to submit to his master Potiphar and spent time in an Egyptian jail. And it’s what He does in our lives through every trial we face.

It’s often in the midst of hardship that we come to know Him for the first time or come to know Him in a deeper way. We learn to depend on Him instead of ourselves. The heat from trials brings our sins to the surface so we can see and deal with them. Hardship purifies.

But the amount of good we gain from a trial and the rate at which it happens depends somewhat on us and our responses. Only God knows to what degree. But we can also choose to harden our hearts. We can get angry and bitter, instead of trusting in God. And sometimes that means God will turn up the heat.

Or we can surrender to His sovereign work in our lives, pray for His wisdom to grow, and respond in Christ-like ways. And with His help be able to say with Joseph, someone meant evil against me, but God is using it for good in my life. And He will.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 14.1-7:

Never Good Enough

… There is none who does good, no, not one (v. 3).

There is none who does good! No one, apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and the conversion that takes place as a result, can ever be good enough to stand in the presence of a Holy God!

Proverbs 4.20-24:

Keep Your Heart

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life (v. 23).

Keep or guard your heart. Guard what you put in—what movies and TV programs you watch, what you read. Guard what you meditate on, think about, and the attitudes of your heart. Bring them into submission to the Holy Spirit and into obedience to the Word of God.

This is easy to understand when something is clearly evil, but what if something you are doing, reading, or watching isn’t clearly named as sin? How can you decide if it’s wise or right?

What Principles Apply

Even when something isn’t forbidden by name, there are often principles in Scripture that can guide us.

Ask yourself, “How much time do I spend reading or watching this? How important is it to me?”

Then ask yourself, “How obsessed am I about Jesus? How much time do I spend reading my Bible? Or praying? What am I willing to give up to make sure I spend time with God?

Sometimes, as Christians, we aren’t called to choose between purely good and evil, sometimes the choice is between good and better. It may also be a wisdom issue. The Apostle Paul said:

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any (1 Cor. 6.12).

And to the Ephesians he wrote:

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do (Eph. 6.15-16)

Matthew 16.1-28:

Those Who Follow Him

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 

Those who first heard His words understood that the cross was a symbol of death. We must put to death the old man that is corrupt through and through, be constantly renewed in the spirit of our minds, and put on the new self by becoming more and more like Christ (Eph. 4.22-24).

That means we must put to death our selfish and unloving attitudes and behavior. We must starve them and feed on Jesus and His Word, obeying it even when it goes against our feelings and desires. We can only do that if we have first experienced the transforming power of the gospel and then by praying for and relying on His grace. And, finally, by choosing to step out in faith and obedience.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about religious prejudice, parenting, sleeping with frogs, and what to do when you try trusting God and things get worse.

I hope you’ll join me and, if you haven’t already,  take the challenge to read through the Bible with me this year. Even though we may do it imperfectly or miss a day here and there, I find when we set it as a goal, we read far more of God’s Word than we would otherwise. I know we all get far too much email these days but having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day can serve as a general reminder to get into God’s Word. It goes out at 6 a.m. MST.

You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest, and now listen on YouTube. Just click on the social media icons or go to my YouTube channel. 

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Prayer Helps

Do you ever struggle with prayer? Do you sometimes feel it’s just one more thing on your to-do list or that you don’t measure up in this area? Me, too, but these are some of the strategies that I’ve learned through the years that have helped me have a more consistent and meaningful prayer life.

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.