Finding Strength in God's Truth When You're Feeling Helpless and Beaten Downنموونە

I feel beaten down over what others have done to me.

Joseph was next to the youngest in a family with 12 brothers. He was his father’s favorite. He even had some dreams in which he was ruling over his brothers, and he foolishly told his entire family. His brothers hated him for it. One day they were out in the field shepherding their flocks, and Jacob (Joseph’s father) sent Joseph to them with some food. They saw him coming, decided to kill him and they threw him into a pit while they made their plans. When some Ishmaelite traders came by, they chose instead to sell Joseph to them as a slave. The Ishmaelites then sold Joseph to Potiphar – a captain of the guards in Egypt. Joseph worked faithfully for Potiphar, so Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his entire household, but Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. When Joseph wouldn’t succumb to her advances, she accused him of rape – and he was thrown into prison where he spent a few more years. Eventually, God rescued him and used him in a mighty and amazing way. You can read this heart-wrenching story in Genesis 37-50.

Do you feel beaten down by others, maybe by no fault of your own, and you feel helpless and hopeless? Did you know that God can use your misfortune, and turn it into good? He certainly did that with Joseph and made him second in command over all of Egypt!

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph talked to his brothers about the evil they had done to him: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” It’s interesting that the Hebrew word “intended” traces its meaning to “weave”. “You wove evil, but God rewove it together for good”. There is no evil woven into our lives that can’t be rewoven by the Master Weaver, the Master Builder.

We don’t have control over what others do to us, but we serve a God who can turn our misfortune into good.

Here are some wonderful promises from Psalm 18:

• Psalm 18:2; “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
• Psalm 18:6; “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”
• Psalm 18:16-19; “He reached down from on high and took hold of me he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
• Psalm 18:27-28; “You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”

Reflection: It is easy to feel like a victim of others who are more powerful than we are. But through Christ, we are more than conquerors! Nothing can steal the Holy Spirit away from our hearts, He is our comforter and friend forever. Spend some time in private worship to the Lord who is greater than any problem we might encounter. Praise Him for the good that He will weave into your life as you cling faithfully to Him. Refuse to live in a victim mentality; that is the enemy, and he only speaks lies. The Truth of Christ lifts your heart to see a bigger picture, one that ends with the believer experiencing the joy of being in the presence of our glorious Lord forever.