Christ is intentional

There are so many things around us in life that appear to be "bad". So many tragedies, events, hurts and failures that hit us hard, and cut to the heart. Things that feel like they are a punishment, or maybe God had forgotten about us. No matter how our human minds might conceive such events and even when burdens feel like more than we can bear, we can hold fast to the truth that Christ is intentional.

Everything that comes our way has a purpose for our own good. Whether it is to grow in character, empathy, humbleness or for us to come back to our Father's feet. Even in the death of Lazarus, a friend that Christ loved and wept over. There was no mistake. While it pained Christ to hear of his death and know the hurt the family faced, in this event He was able to raise the dead. He took something so sad and devastating and healed that hurt like no one else was able to. He was able to convert those who did not believe. Convince those who were bordering and saw the miracle. And deepen the faith of his disciples, the very men that lived and ate with the Son of God.

We watched a documentary on the History Channel about the Black Blizzards of the dust bowl. One man had attached a wire from the barn to the house so that if he was caught in the barn when the storm came that he could close his eyes and the wire would lead him to safety. I pray that when facing a hardship of any kind, that we will reach out and grab that wire of prayer that will lead us to the Father. He already knows the answers and He can make good what the enemy has intended for destruction.