He Intended It For Good (Genesis 50:20) 

This is a 7-day Devotional that centers around the hidden plans of God. 

There are different times in life when we go through one storm or adversity and find ourselves questioning God  “like ummm God…..what is actually going on here.. because this IS NOT IT”.  

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

This pretty much lets me know that God always has something cooking, even though it may not look like much now.  For example, for those who cook, in the preparation stage of beating, whipping, and mixing a whole bunch of ingredients together, the meal might look nasty, unpleasant, or even become an eyesore. However, you know that the final result will be amazing. This is the confidence we ought to have when we surrender our lives and will to God. That although, I have no clue what God is doing, or how things might turn out, I know what the final result will be. Because we know “all things work together for good to them that love God, and who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

My goal with this devotional is to encourage us to keep on trusting and pushing through the adversities by highlighting Biblical examples of our fellow Brothers and Sisters whose stories weren’t looking so pleasing, but were triumphant when all was said and done. It all worked out well because He intended it for Good.

If you know anything about meee (its okay if you don't :( ) but I loveee meee some Joseph.. wooooo! 

When we get to the 37th Chapter of Genesis, we encounter the story of a young lad named Joseph who was 17 and his father Jacob's favorite child. He was the youngest of 12 sons from 4 different mothers, but Joseph and his brothers didn’t get along. They hated him because he was their fathers favorite. He even had a sporty colorful robe he copped (acquired, for those who may not know), from his father which fueled their envy. 

On a certain day, his brothers’ became envious of him and they decided to get rid of Joseph by throwing him into a pit, and later selling him into slavery. They returned back to their father Jacob with nothing but Joseph's robe, saying that the boy is dead. 

Joseph was later sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. The Bible tells us in Genesis 39 that the Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did. So much so that Joseph was elevated to become Potiphar's personal assistant, and this gave him authority over everything in Potiphar’s possession. After a while, Potiphar’s wife wanted to get with Joseph, but Joseph refused, breaking free from her grasp, and leaving his robe behind (this guy and robes.. revelation..I think sooo).

Eventually, She lied and said Joseph was trying to rape her, and he was thrown into prison, but yet again the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:21). Nonetheless, Joseph found himself in charge of all the prisoners and he interpreted a couple of dreams for his fellow prisoners and two years later, Joseph found himself in front of Pharaoh in the Palace interpreting his dream. After a successful interpretation he was made Prime Minister over all of Egypt. (Genesis 41)

Daily Reflection: 

Today I want us to reflect on the three P’s: Pit, Prison, Palace. Joseph didn’t see it but God’s plan for him was always the Palace. It may not have looked like it from the first two P’s but little did Joseph know that God was preparing him to be diligent for the 7 years of fruitfulness and 7 years of famine to come by. He was strategically placed in Potiphar’s house where he learned macroeconomics (fruitfulness) and in prison where he learned microeconomics (famine). Joseph saved the world. No matter what pits and prison your story might be telling now, God's end result for us all is the Palace. 

Daily Scripture:

 Genesis 41: 37-57, Genesis 50:20

Yesterday we spoke about Joseph and learned about his three P’s. Though he was placed in the pit and in the prison, his destiny was always the Palace. 

Today, we are going to speak on another Son of God, David. 

We are introduced to David as the 8th and youngest son of Jesse. As a child, David’s father appointed him to keep the family sheep. During this time, David grew and developed great skill in music and shepherding. Like Joseph yesterday, little did David know that God was using all this to prepare him. 

His shepherd years were interrupted suddenly when Samuel, the great judge and prophet of Israel, showed up in Bethlehem to offer a sacrifice. Samuel reviewed Jesse’s sons and then called for David, who was anointed as a future king of Israel in the presence of his family.

A few years later, David killed and beheaded the giant of Philistine Goliath. From there, he became popular and  this made the current King Saul quite jealous. 

TURNNN UPP!!! So boom, David is 30 years old and has just been elected King of Judah because King Saul died as a casualty of war. While his army was away, David was relaxing at the palace (a place he shouldn’t have been at the time) instead of leading his men into battle. He happened to look out and saw a woman bathing (Bethsheba). He brought her into the palace and committed adultery with her, sinning against God. 

The consequences of David’s sin would continue throughout the rest of his reign, from ancestral rape of his children (2 Sam 13:14), his son plotting to revolt against him (2 Sam 15:6), civil war (2 Sam 3:1) and a famine (2 Sam 21:1). 

Daily Reflection: 

Sin can bring horrible consequences, but sin can be forgiven. David’s story started off so well but seemed to stumble from one wrong move. It always seems to amaze me how God can take our wrong doing and still make it work out for not only our good, but the good of others (of course with repentance). From the union of David and Bethsheba came King Solomon, who would become the wisest man to ever live and the man who built and completed the First Temple of God. David’s life teaches us not to take the glorious reality of God’s mercy for granted.

Daily Scriptures: 

Psalm 51:1-19, 2 Sam 12:13, 1 Kings 6v14, Romans 6:1, Genesis 50:20

Yesterday, through the life of David, we learned sin can bring horrible consequences, but sin can be forgiven when we are repentant, and great things can come from a downfall. 

Today we will sift through the life of Moses. 

In Exodus 2, we read of a baby boy born into oppression and hidden for three months because of a decree that all newborn Hebrew boys should be killed at birth. When his mother could no longer hide him, she put him in a basket along the banks of the Nile River and sent him away. Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the basket and took an interest in him. As he got older, he was named Moses, and grew up in the ways of an Egyptian. 

On a certain day,  there was a quarrel between two Hebrew slaves; one of whom witnessed Moses killing an Egyptian master for beating a Hebrew. The Hebrew slave called Moses out on his deed, and Moses fled in fear of his life. 

TURRNNNUPPPP!! So boom, Moses ends up in Midian where he marries a woman named Zipporah and has a son named Gershom. The most important part of this section of his story is found in Chapter 3, where Moses had his first encounter with God at the Burning Bush. Without getting too much into the details, Moses who is a stammerer ends up being called by God to petition Pharoah, and lead His people out of Egypt. 

Moses and his brother Aaron travelled back to Egypt to free God’s people. Ten Plagues and a couple hardened hearts later, the new Pharaoh (who is Moses’ Egyptian brother), agrees to let God’s people go, and sets them free from their captivity, only to chase after them once they do actually leave. In the end God brings His people out of captivity.

Daily Reflection:

The unnamed baby later called Moses faced adversity before he even took his first couple of breaths. A mother had to let go of her 3 month old baby, and watch him grow up in the household of the man that wanted his life. It’s really crazy how things happen even down to the minute details of the way the wind might have been blowing that day and how he could have ended up somewhere completely different. We should always thank God for even the minor things in our story. I mean there is so much I can pull from this story but what I want to leave you with today from the story of Moses is that, when we allow God to have His way, we will always be in the right place at the right time, even if we don’t recognize it. 

Daily Scriptures: 

Exodus 3:10, Proverbs 16:9, Genesis 50:20

Yesterday we learned that even the little things can play a big part in our story. 

Hananiah, Misha'el, and Azariah or better known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are the topics of our devotion today. 

We are introduced to these young men who are firm believers in God in Daniel Chapter 3. Even when faced with a decree to worship false idols, they remain consistent with their God, which lands them in trouble. 

The story takes place during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of Babylon who took many Israelites captive, including Hananiah, Misha'el, and Azariah. It wasn’t until they became captives in Babylon that their names were changed to the latter mentioned above. All being exceptionally wise, these three men, and Daniel found favor with the King and all became advisors to the throne. 

*cranks up the volume* 

King Nebuchadnezzar had a huge golden image built as a symbol of his power and glory. At certain times, he would command his people to bow down and worship the image whenever they heard the sound of his musical herald and those who disobeyed and didn’t bow down would be thrown into an immense, blazing furnace.

Our Three Hebrew Boys refused to bow down to the image because they only bowed to the One and Only God (read Daniel 3:16-18). 

Being heated (pun intended), the king ordered the furnace to be turned seven times hotter than normal! (Hmm the number 7..carry on). But as the men were bound and cast ablaze, the king peeked into the furnace and famously noted "But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods." (Daniel 3:25, ESV)”. 

The king called them out and declared them blessed. He made a decree that through God’s deliverance, captured Israelites were free from harm and guaranteed freedom to worship their God. 

Daily Reflection: 

Their story ought to serve as inspiration for those who question their faith when they face hardships. Let’s be real here; God’s intervention in our moments of crisis is not always promised. If it were, we wouldn’t need to exercise or have faith. What we need to take away is that the Three Boys trusted God and were set on being faithful without any guarantee of God’s intervention. There was no Word that came down that they were going to survive, but they remained faithful. We might not be faced with a fiery furnace, but our faith gets tested in many situations. Those facing tough times should look to this story as inspiration, knowing that it is possible to stand firm in our faith knowing fully well that God will always come through for us when it’s all said and done. Whether it’s the deliverance of a nation or a story that will be talked about for generations to come. God means it all for Good. 

Daily Scripture: 

Daniel 3:16-18, Daniel 3:25, Daniel 3:28, Genesis 50:20

1 Samuel 1:3-8

Yesterday we learned about the Three Hebrew Boys, and we took away from the story that in hardships our Faith ought to be stronger. 

Today we dive in our first Daughter of God.  WHERE MY LADIESSSS ATTT?!? (Gotta save the best for last right?)

The story of Hannah begins in the 1st book of Samuel, where we are introduced to her as being the first wife of a man named Elkanah.  You may or may not know but it was common for men in the Old Testament (I said OLD oo) to have multiple wives as was so in this case. Hannah was barren but the other wife, Peninnah, had children. Because of this, Hannah was extremely troubled, reduced to mocking from Peninnah, tears and loss of appetite. 

Hannah, not being able to take anymore of the heartache and sorrow, cried out to God and promised the Lord that if He would give her a son, she would dedicate him to God as a Nazarite (a man set apart to serve God; Numbers 6:1-8).

 Turnnpppp

While Hannah was ushering up her prayers to God, Eli, who was the tabernacle priest, saw her and thought that she was drunk (I can only imagine what kind of prayers those must have been). He made a comment about how she should put away the wine, but was quickly corrected when she said “I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” (1 Sam 1:15-16) Then Eli commanded her to go in peace and that God will grant her petition. And some months later came baby Samuel, and eventually she had 5 more down the line. 

Daily Reflection

Hannah’s story ought to teach us that God can use our weakness to accomplish great things. Although relatively short, some may wonder why Hannah’s story was necessary. Her story helps us see the importance of Glorifying God in our time of despair. From Hannah, came Samuel (the same Samuel we learned about back on Day 2), who grew up to be a great man of God. Every person experiences situations that may bring about some grief. And often we ask ourselves “Why me?” In the life of Hannah, we see that God knows our story from start to finish; that everything happens for a reason (even when it doesn’t make sense) and that all things work together for our Good. 

Daily Scripture:

Philippians 4:6, Genesis 50:20

During yesterday’s devotional we spoke on Hannah, who was barren for years. Hannah's story teaches and shows us the importance of giving God Glory during our tough times. 

Today we will speak on another Biblical woman, Esther. Esther is one of only two books in the Bible named after a woman (Ruth being the second). 

We meet Esther, a Jew, in Esther Chapter 2 as the orphaned child who was adopted and raised by her older cousin Mordecai. One day there was a huge party thrown by the king of the land, Xerxes. On the last day of the party (parties usually last days…because they knew how to get down), filled with wine Xerxes called out for his Queen, but she refused. And filled with anger and probably a bit of embarrassment he disposed of her (i.e cancelled her), and began the search for his new queen. 

After hosting a beauty pageant in search of finding his new queen, Esther was found most beautiful and soon thereafter began to sit on the throne. But she kept her Jewish heritage a secret.  

At some point, there was a plot to assassinate the king. Mordecai uncovered it, went straight to tell Esther of the assassination attempt, and the plans were thwarted. This was a pivotal moment in the story because Esther disclosed who she received the information from, and it was recorded in the book of remembrance as a good deed from Mordecai. 

In Chapter 3 we meet our antagonist Haman, who hated the Jews and devised a plan to kill them. Mordecai (who always seems to be at the right place at the right time) and Esther got ahead of his plan and tried to inform the king. Knowing that one can’t walk up to the king and make a request, Esther was scared to approach the king but Mordecai reminded Esther in Esther 4:13-14, that she had a role to play and might have been put there for such a time as this.

Esther was encouraged and uttered her famous words, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).

Fast forward to chapter 6, the king was listening to his attendant read the book of remembrance. The attendant read the story of Mordecai foiling the assassination  and the king had it in mind to honor Mordecai. A little later, at a banquet she was hosting, Esther approached the king and shared the true intentions of Haman’s plans and his desire to kill her and the Jews. The king in rage sentenced Haman to be hung on the gallows—which were the same gallows Haman had built for Mordecai.

In the end Mordecai was promoted to Haman's position and the Jews were granted protection throughout the land. 

Daily Reflection: 

There are many themes in the book of Esther, but I want us to take three things away today: One, God’s Sovereignty and how He uses the action and plans of man to fulfill His Will. Two, His Deliverance and how He has delivered so many from destruction. And three, remembering life is not always easy. When life seems like it’s throwing the kitchen sink at you, do you run to or away from God? I truly believe the underlying beauty in this book is that God was NEVER mentioned, but it ought to show us that God is always present, even when His name might not be mentioned. The silent Hand of God brings all things including the events, the casualties, the haters and all, for His Glory and for our good.  

Daily Scripture 

Esther 4:13-14, Esther 4:16, Genesis 50:20

John 4:1-42

The secret Hand of God brings all things together to work out for our good. That is what we learned yesterday through the story of Esther. 

Day 7.. boohoo we are unfortunately at the last day of our devotional and I hope that it blessed you as much if not more than it blessed me writing this. 

To be honest with you all, I really had no idea coming into this how it was going to go. But if there is nothing I know how to do on earth, one thing I can do is give God Glory. So I thank Him for using me as a vessel to write this. 

Okay enough of all that.. y’all are not here to see me get all emotional. 

John 4. Our story picks up as Jesus is traveling to Galilee, but He chooses to take the unconventional route through Samaria. Where He encounters a Samaritan woman (whom the Bible never names) who has come to collect water at the town well. Jesus proceeds to ask the woman for a drink but the woman quickly looks at Him in verse 9 “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.).

And Jesus replies “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (verse 10). “But you have no cup,” the woman replied.

So no cup Jesus, hearing this woman miss the revelation He is trying to give her, turns up the conversation (that was good huh, Jesus leads the final turn up?).

Boom!

He reveals that He knows this woman. Not only pointing out what she needed, Living Water, but also what made her an outcast in the town, for her to be at the well during the hottest part of the day. He also revealed she had been married five times and the man she was currently with was not her husband  (verse 18).

After being told about herself, the woman was in complete disbelief and ran off to tell whoever would hear. Saying “Come, see!” (verse 29). Many heard, many came and many became believers because of the Samaritan (outcast) Woman.

Daily Reflection: 

This story is so beautiful, Jesus was in a place He wasn’t supposed to be, meeting a woman He wasn’t supposed to interact with, using an outcast woman to bring about the salvation of many! Jesus through this story shows His love for us in spite of our situations. The Samaritan woman was rejected by her own people, and sometimes that may happen to us because of our belief or actions. This story also shows us how important our testimonies truly are, even when it may not seem like much, God can turn our mess into a message (“Come, see!” - The Samaritan Woman). But what truly matters in the end is that God will never reject us. 

So no matter your situation, what pit or prison, sin, malicious decree, fiery furnace, barrenness, events and or outcasting to name a few, stand before you, the Hand of God…sometimes silently is working all things together (say it with me) “For our Good”. 

Daily Scripture: 

Romans 5:8, 1 Timothy 5:15, Colossians 1:19-20, Genesis 50:20

God bless you family!