Last Sunday we overviewed chapters 25-50 of the book of Genesis in just 30 minutes as we painted a picture of the life of Jacob, a man who from womb to tomb had a life characterized by multiple broken relationships:
His broken relationship with his twin brother actually began in the womb and culminated with his brother vowing to kill him!
His broken relationship with his father culminated in his deceiving his father shortly before he died!
His broken relationship with his uncle resulted in his working for him for 14 years because he was tricked him into marrying the wrong daughter!
His broken relationship with his wife was due to his having multiple wives, two of whom where sisters who competed for his affection!
His broken relationship with the wife he loved the most culminated in her death while giving birth to his 12th son!
His broken relationship with one of his daughters is seen as she is abducted, raped, and in retaliation her brothers massacre a whole group of people.
His broken relationships with his sons resulted in his loving one son over the others which resulted in his many sons hating the one that he loved most, abducting him, throwing him in a pit, selling him into slavery in Egypt, and convincing their dad that he was killed by an animal.
Now talk about broken relationships. How could God ever use this family? But he did. And in the end, all of these broken relationships resulted in Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his brothers, rising to a high position in Egypt and saving many people from death during a time of great famine. That is why in Genesis 50:20 Joseph tells his brothers, “What you meant for evil, god meant for good.”
So, like Joseph, have you found yourself in the bit of a broken relationship, pushed in by someone close to you? A spouse? A child? A parent? A friend? So what do you do when you’re in the pit of a broken relationship? You can ask yourself one of the following questions:
WHY ME? – This is the question you ask when you descend even further into a state of self-pity and allow yourself to develop a bitter heart and a bitter soul which results in your living out the remainder of your life in misery.
WHAT NOW? – This is the question you ask when you realize that even though you hate being in the pit and you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy, God is still at work and can take the evil that was meant against you and use it to accomplish His plan and His purpose!
His broken relationship with his twin brother actually began in the womb and culminated with his brother vowing to kill him!
His broken relationship with his father culminated in his deceiving his father shortly before he died!
His broken relationship with his uncle resulted in his working for him for 14 years because he was tricked him into marrying the wrong daughter!
His broken relationship with his wife was due to his having multiple wives, two of whom where sisters who competed for his affection!
His broken relationship with the wife he loved the most culminated in her death while giving birth to his 12th son!
His broken relationship with one of his daughters is seen as she is abducted, raped, and in retaliation her brothers massacre a whole group of people.
His broken relationships with his sons resulted in his loving one son over the others which resulted in his many sons hating the one that he loved most, abducting him, throwing him in a pit, selling him into slavery in Egypt, and convincing their dad that he was killed by an animal.
Now talk about broken relationships. How could God ever use this family? But he did. And in the end, all of these broken relationships resulted in Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his brothers, rising to a high position in Egypt and saving many people from death during a time of great famine. That is why in Genesis 50:20 Joseph tells his brothers, “What you meant for evil, god meant for good.”
So, like Joseph, have you found yourself in the bit of a broken relationship, pushed in by someone close to you? A spouse? A child? A parent? A friend? So what do you do when you’re in the pit of a broken relationship? You can ask yourself one of the following questions:
WHY ME? – This is the question you ask when you descend even further into a state of self-pity and allow yourself to develop a bitter heart and a bitter soul which results in your living out the remainder of your life in misery.
WHAT NOW? – This is the question you ask when you realize that even though you hate being in the pit and you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy, God is still at work and can take the evil that was meant against you and use it to accomplish His plan and His purpose!
Amen! God can use the worst situation and bring out the best. I say through my broken state that He is squeezing out the oil of His anointing. It hurts but I know that it is working to get the best results out of my life. Thank you for sharing your article. It is a great encouragement.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erica! Blessings to you!
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