MADE
REPLENISH: FILL UP WITH GOD’S GOODNESS AND LIVE FULFILLED - DAY 41
My husband loves documentary shows on television, and so we have enjoyed watching a Canadian program called “How It’s Made.” Each episode explains how the ordinary items we use every day are produced. We immersed ourselves in discovering how candles and garden tools were created.
Joseph looks back at his thirteen years of affliction, and he discerns how God used his hardest season to hone him into a much better version of himself. To “make” can imply that the “creator” converts an object from one state into another more proper condition. We cannot “make” ourselves. Only as we surrender our lives to God Almighty can He supernaturally bring about a transformation in our lives.
Joseph gave his two son born in Egypt prophetic Hebrew names to describe the work God had done in his heart as he endured grave adversity during his time in exile. This man of faith never turned away from God and continued to trust in His goodness. The more Joseph resolved to obey, the more God restored his soul. Now looking back, he no laments all the sorrow he experienced, a grateful Joseph only senses how God sustained him through it all.
God had made Joseph “doubly fruitful” even though his life was uprooted and displaced in a dark place. He prospered as He continued to toil without complaining through all the tumultuous difficulty. Friend, the barren soil you may currently stand in might just be the seedbed God will use to bring about a beautiful harvest in your life.
To “forget” our trouble implies that we don’t allow it to dominate our thinking. Yes, we will experience seasons of physical, mental, and spiritual tribulation, but we can trust that God has planted us exactly where we stand, and He will ultimately produce in us a beautiful transformation. The God Who “made” you will always ensure you flourish as you continue to yield your life to Him.
FUEL FOR THOUGHT:
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NIV)
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