Rerun of Daily Devotional June 26, 2018
On Saturday morning, the first thing I did when I hopped out of bed was check the weather app on my phone. It showed there was no rain in the forecast for the next seven days. That meant I was able to spend the entire day on my tractor cutting hay. I cut a lot of hay because there was no threat of rain and the hay had days to dry in the hot Texas sun before I raked it into windrows and baled it.
The interesting thing was that just before I pulled the tractor into the field to begin cutting, a rancher drove by, and we had a conversation about the extreme lack of rain. He told me he had less than half the hay he would usually have by this time of year and how he was going to start feeding hay to his cows this summer because the draught is so bad.
This conversation made me even more thankful for all the hay bales I was about to get off that fifty-acre field.
My plan was to cut the hay Saturday, let it dry until Monday evening, then rake it after work and bale it on Tuesday evening.
Monday morning, just as we started vacation bible school, the rains came pouring down. The first thing I thought of was all the hay I had on the ground and how it was going to get soaked and then have to dry for more days. No raking on Monday evening. No baling on Tuesday evening. My schedule was shot.
But then as I began to bemoan my bad luck, I realized, the hay would eventually dry and be baled. And more importantly, we desperately needed those few hours of rain.
There have been many times in my life, when I have labeled something bad that turned out to be incredibly good. In fact, some of the very worst events I have ever faced have turned out to be my greatest blessings.
This was the realization Joseph came to when he confronted his brothers who had stripped him, beaten him, and sold him into slavery. After enduring many years of hardship Joseph became the second most powerful man in the Egyptian Empire. He said to his brothers: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” (Genesis 50:20)
By using the terrible things that happened in Joseph’s life, God was able to save the nation of Israel.
Just know that in life you are going to experience some very good times and some very bad. God loves you so much, that he can use the bad times of your life to bring good. All you have to do is trust and be patient. Remember, the worst event in the history of humanity happened on a hill outside Jerusalem on a Friday afternoon. This horrific moment led to your salvation.
Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, give me patience when I am filled with angst, peace when I am consumed by worry, and faith to follow your path when it is easy and when it is difficult. Please let me be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
God takes both the good and bad of our lives and brings good. That’s how much God loves you.
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins
Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 