What would we do?

I’m on a couple of those church humor/funny groups and I read (part) of a post that was talking about what the author would have done in the situation.  The first example was that she (Kimberly Henderson from Proverbs 31 Ministries) would have pulled Joseph out of that pit, or that prison.  She would have pulled him out of that pain, she would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.  She went through several examples and then she wrote, “I want to pull you out.  I want to change your path.  I want to stop your pain.  But right now I know I would be wrong.  I would be out of line.  I would be cheating you and the world out of so much good.  Because God knows, He knows the good this pain will produce.  He knows the beauty this hardship will grow.  He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. He’s promising you that you can trust Him, even when it all feels like more than you can bear.”  She continues to write that instead of just pulling one out of a circumstance, she would pray for peace, for strength, for hope and for protection.  There are some situations where we just wish we could pull a person out of their position, but we can’t.  I’m not saying that we should refuse to help when we can give help, please do not misunderstand that.  I am saying there will be trials that a person goes through that God has allowed for growth.  These trials can be physically, spiritually, or emotionally draining, the trials can even be a combination of all three.  When we see a friend going through a hard time, we need to offer our help if they need it, and we need to constantly lift them up in prayer.  God had a purpose for the pit that Joseph was in.  He had a plan to use the prison for good.  God was able to help Joseph grow so that He could use Joseph to save at least two different nations.  God has a plan for our lives, it will not always be easy, it will not always be fun, but we can know God sees past our horizon.  He sees the future that awaits for you and I.  He sees how He will use your situation right now to reach people you may never have thought of.  We must press on, we must not give up.  “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4.  We can praise God in and for the hard times, because He will use them for our good, and ultimately for His glory.  God Bless!