Today’s Scripture Reading

²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.GEN.50.20

Today’s Devotional Reading

The Common Thread

Taking a bad situation and making something good out of it is not uncommon. The pages of history are lined with individuals who encountered negative setbacks only to make something positive out of them. As a boy, Thomas Edison received a blow on his ear that impaired his hearing. Later he felt his deafness was a blessing, for it was a tool by which he was saved from distractions, thus allowing him to invent great things.

Victor Hugo, a literary genius from France, was exiled from his country by Napoleon and later birthed his most creative works. When he returned home in triumph, he asked, “Why was I not exiled earlier?”

Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, faced obstacle after obstacle in her life. However, on more than one occasion she confided, “I thank God for my obstacles, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God.”

George Frideric Handel was being threatened with debtors’ prison and had become paralyzed on the right side of his body when he composed The Messiah, hailed as one of the greatest musical pieces in history.

Joseph responded to difficult crises with a positive attitude. He discovered in his defining moment that when life is unfair, God is still good. His life and attitude can be summarized by his own words: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

The fiber that ties Edison, Hugo, Keller, Handel, and Joseph together is that they saw their misfortunes not as dilemmas but as opportunities to grow and develop in ways that otherwise would have been impossible.

What the world means for evil, God intends for good.

Prayer

Lord, help me to see your good intentions in . . .

Today’s devotional reading is pulled from: NIV Once a Day Devotional for Men