John 11:50 - 52 - My Trouble Is My Blessing!

SCRIPTURE:

Joh 11:50-52 CEV
(50) Don't you know it is better for one person to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?"
(51) Caiaphas did not say this on his own. As high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation.
(52) Yet Jesus would not die just for the Jewish nation. He would die to bring together all of God's scattered people.

OBSERVATION:

Caiaphas was the cause of a lot of trouble for Jesus.
From a human perspective Caiaphas was nothing but trouble. He was dangerous. He was to be avoided.

But John saw the hand of God in these troubles.
Some how God manages to take what is in our hearts… and even our actions and use them to His Glory (Rom 8:28).
I must admit, I can’t fully comprehend how this works…

What I do know however is that God used these plans to harm to work out his purposes.
Joseph knew this well. Check out what he said in Genesis:

Gen 45:5-8 MSG
(5) But don't feel badly, don't blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives.
(6) There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years--neither plowing nor harvesting.
(7) God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance.
(8) So you see, it wasn't you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt.

APPLICATION:

Do I see challenges in the following light:

1) God has sent them to fulfill His purposes
2) God has sent them to grow me to enable me to do the above
3) My trouble / challenge is a blessing!

Jam 1:2-4 MSG
(2) Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.
(3) You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.
(4) So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

PRAYER:

Father, once again I ask You to help my sight!
May I give You praise in every circumstance. May I see your Hand in my day to day. May I submit to your Hand and training program for my life.
Amen