God’s Crooked Lines (06/04/2024)

Yesterday, I was talking with someone and used one of my favorite expressions, “God writes straight with crooked lines.” I tried to explain what I meant by that. I used the scriptural source of the expression, Genesis 50:20: “Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve this present end.”

The speaker in the scripture text is Joseph. He explains to his family, his brothers who sold him into slavery, that while they did it unlovingly and spitefully, the LORD used it to achieve good. The choice was that of the brothers, but the good came about when Joseph allowed the LORD to work through him.

In our lives, I have found, that there are many instances of things not being right, loving, of choice made by others that are intended to hurt us. The LORD didn’t make those choices, but the LORD can direct our response and turn things around for us if we allow Him to lead us. Our free wills impact our world; because of free will, there will be those who choose poorly or unlovingly, and those choices will impact others negatively. But the LORD has promised us that He is with us always. When we find ourselves in those situations, if we turn to the LORD, He can guide us, He can strengthen us, He can help us to realize good for ourselves and others, if we trust in Him and rely upon Him.

We can find ourselves often in terrain we didn’t choose, this is when we need to turn to our LORD and with joyful and hopeful reliance, seek the LORD’s help in making sense of this all, in restoring love to our ongoing journey, in finding our purpose and our true selves. The LORD can make straight any crooked line.

As we go forward, let us continue to rely upon our LORD. Let us seek always to act as the LORD has commanded, loving the LORD with our whole being and one another as the LORD loves us. And if we are impacted by unloving choices of others, let us commit to bringing it to the LORD and seeking the LORD’s help, grace, and love in achieving the good the LORD truly desires for us and for others.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.