"This Thing is From Me.."

In a YouTube video you can see here (https://youtu.be/12Weg1GfAhI?si=3Cx9ndZbDkB6MCjN) Joni Eareckson Tada describes the sometimes "counterintuitive" nature of God's ways. When King Solomon's son Rehoboam is rejected by the Northern 10 tribes of Israel, he gathers an army hoping to correct the situation by destroying his rival Jereboam and restoring the breach and brotherhood of Israel. But God speaks to him by the prophet Shemaiah in an unexpected way:

“Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.” (1 Kings 12:24, KJV)

How in the world could an event as destructive as the political division of God's chosen people be from God?

O Dear Ones, if you haven't run up against a terrible unforeseen event where it seems that God has abandoned or is punishing you, you will. Some of the most awful events in human history have been attributed to the devil, but were in fact the very hand of a just, good and all-wise God. And this brief note is too short to tell you them all. Here are a few:

1. Joseph's is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, which ends by his becoming the literal savior of his family and all of Israel. When he confronts his terrified and dumbfounded brothers (who thought him dead) near the end of the story he explains it all with the phrase ".. ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20, KJV)

   
   

2. When the Israelites are standing before the Red Sea watching the armies of Pharoah

   approach they cry out: “... Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11, KJV) They fully expect to be slaughtered by the armies of a furious Pharoah, but God had other plans!

   
   

3. When Jesus' friend Lazarus falls sick, rather than going to heal him He deliberately waits until Lazarus dies, saying "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby" (John 11:4). Look how God was glorified by Lazarus' death!

   
   

4. In John 9:1, as Jesus is leaving the temple compound he sees a man which was blind from his birth, and his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? " Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." and heals the man. Why does God allow tragedy and suffering in the world? So that one day He can fix it and get great glory!

Can you think of any others?

How about the cross itself? The chief priest and rabbis meant it for evil but God meant it for good. Without that horrific crucifixion we and the world would be lost!

How about the fall itself in the garden of God? Or the Jews being scattered throughout the world after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.??

Obviously we could go on and on, but you get the idea. Our mortality limits our knowledge of God's ways, which are not our ways. And if you think about that famous verse in Romans 8..

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, KJV)

God's comment "This thing is from me" makes perfect sense. Even though the particular "thing" may seem terrible, in the large picture all of those terrible things work together for GOOD, but only to those who have heard God's call and are in His purpose.

All of the death, the wars, the evil and corruption of Man, all will end in the glorious revealing of Jesus Christ as He comes for those who love His appearing!

Whatever God brings your way, He will lead you through.

Isn't He wonderful??

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