Can You Mess Up God's Will?
As I’m approaching my senior year of college I’m finding myself in a place of confusion. Did I pick the right major? Do I really want to work in this profession for the rest of my life? Why am I not as excited about it as I was a year ago? I know other people have those same thoughts, but it feels like confessing it out loud opens the floodgates to much deeper issues. By questioning my past decisions, am I questioning God? Was this God’s will in the first place? Do I believe that one wrong decision can ruin God’s plan for my life?
The answer to that last question is a definite no. I’ve seen too many times in my own life that when everything seems to be falling apart, God is the one ripping harmful things from my life and replacing them with healthy things. I’ve lost friends who were a bad influence on me, but I’ve gained deeper friendships with people who encourage and teach me. I like the story of Joseph because his story runs parallel; he received a dream from God that he would one-day rule over his brothers, but instead his brother sold him into slavery. Nothing in Joseph’s life seemed to be going right. At every turn, he found himself in what seemed to be a worse spot than the last. But one night, while he was in prison, the pharaoh of Egypt sent for Joseph to interpret his nightmare. The pharaoh was so impressed that he made Joseph second in command! Because of his new-found status, Joseph was able to save the family of Israel (Abraham’s descendants) from starvation, and thus helped to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant.
Even though Joseph lived a rough life, God was using his circumstances to fulfill His plans. Joseph didn’t plan to be sold into slavery, or to be imprisoned, but God remained in control and worked everything together for good.
I can find comfort in this story that no matter what I do, I can rest assured that God will use my situations to further His kingdom. With God in control, there’s nothing I can do to deter His perfect will.