Adversity? No Deterrence to God's Plan.
Israel was sent to captivity as a result of their continued defiance of God. They took God's love and mercies for granted and chose self over a complete surrender. Hence, in bondage, Israel went through a long divinely orchestrated teaching lesson on how not to behave towards God and the repercussions of those who turn their back on Him. "This is God's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for" Jeremiah 29:10-11. Notably, God had a plan for Israel even while they were in adversity.
Joseph's life also gives an excellent understanding of God's plans over our lives, even in adversity. Joseph should have been loved and cared for by his brothers, but after throwing him in a pit, they sold him into slavery, which placed him into Egyptian bondage. While things seem to be turning around for Joseph, he was faced with the tension of holding faith or compromised his walk with God. However, Joseph elected to stand for God, which resulted in his imprisonment. "Joseph preserved his integrity when surrounded by idolaters in Egypt, amid sin and blasphemy and corrupting influences. When [he was] tempted to turn aside from the path of virtue, his answer was, "How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Reflecting Christ 2010, 308)
It would seem as if this was the end of the road for Joseph. However, the pain was the beginning of Joseph's prosperity and purpose. While he was at this dead-end experience, God established His plans for the life of Joseph. This slave boy became a ruler in Egypt and even saved the same ones who tried to destroy him.
The reality of life is that things do not always play out according to our plans or even the way we envisioned them. You might prepare yourself for a job and thought the interview went well only to be told you were not chosen at that time. Maybe you have been trying hard to have a baby, but it just won't happen. It could be that scholarship you have depended on to stay in school that did not work out. Sometimes things do not always happen the way we want them to. Concomitantly, you might lose sight of the possibility of living a purposeful life. Sometimes we also ask ourselves, if God is really in control, why life can be such an unfear experience. Indeed, we think that if He is so powerful, He defiantly can give us the desires of our heart. Those things we have prayed and fasted for, believing that they will come to the past. But you see, if we trust God's power to do whatever He wishes, we can trust that when things do not work out the way we planned, God is doing what is best. That is when we begin to see ourselves not as victims but victors. That is when we start to let go of the negative thoughts and emotions and inhabit a positive change. In other words, that is when you begin to experience trust in God, believing that He is working things out even when you are in the dark. Trusting God when things do not work out the way we taught or pray they would is when our faith grows.
Maybe today, your life is filled with obstacles and dead ends. Perhaps you believe that there is no future or hope for you. This kind of thinking is furthest from the truth. Sometimes when you are at your dead end, God begins to show you the purpose for your pain. You can be assured there are no pitfall, no bondage, nor imprisonment that can combat God's plan over your life. Be decisive even in adversity because God still has a plan for your life.
"Couldst thou in vision see, thyself the man God meant, thou never then could be, the man thou art content."- Augustus Hopkins. Remember, no adversity can deter God's perfect will for your life.
May God bless You.