Articles
God’s Great Power
Have you ever viewed this world or your life as a curse? God does not. He created you both and holds you both as very precious. After creating man and woman in His image, Genesis 1:31-2:1 reads, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” There is sin in this world because of the devil. However, God is more powerful. He takes curses and that which is evil and turns them into blessings and goodness.
After the Israelites defeated the Amorites in the land of Canaan, they traveled to the plains of Moab and camped at the river Jordan across the river from Jericho (Numbers 22:1). The king of Moab–Balak–grew fearful of the Israelites and plotted to take a preemptive strike against them. He summoned a diviner in Pethor named Balaam to curse the Israelites. They tried three times to curse the encamped Israelites (Numbers 23-24). Each time, God put words into Balaam's mouth and had him bless the Israelites instead. After the third blessing, the Lord had Balaam give four prophecies, each predicting the destruction of the Israelites' enemies. Balak became angry and he and Balaam went their separate ways. Thus Deuteronomy 23:5 says, “But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you.”
Genesis 37-50 of the Bible is the account of Jacob’s son Joseph. Jacob loved Joseph and made him a colorful coat that caused his brothers to be jealous (Genesis 37:3-4). Soon after, Joseph told his family about a prophetic dream he had where the sun, moon, and 11 stars were bowing down to him. In their intense jealousy, Joseph’s brothers stole Joseph’s coat to fake his death from an animal to their father. Then they pushed him into a pit rendering him unconscious and selling him off to traders who sold him to an Egyptian official named Potiphar. Over time, Joseph gained favor with Potiphar and was set to manage his household. His wife then tried to have an affair with Joseph and when he refused, accused him of forcing himself on her and had him sent to prison.
While in prison, God gave him the power to interpret dreams. Years later, the Pharoah had a series of dreams in which his cupbearer remembered that Joseph had interpreted his dream. By the age of 30, after interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and gaining his favor, he was put in charge of Egypt’s management (Genesis 41:41-42). Seven years of abundant harvest later, a famine devastated the lands of Canaan and Egypt. Due to Joseph, Egypt had enough food in storage to last. His brothers came to Egypt to seek grain to live, Joseph forgave them. Genesis 50:20-21 reads, “‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”
The kindest man to ever walk the Earth was Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:3 says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Jesus purified all of mankind’s sins by shedding His blood on the cross. Though the entirety of mankind were His enemies, He willingly faced a torturous death for our benefit because it was God’s will. Your life and this world are loved and cherished by God. If you are His child, He will watch over you. Isaiah 46:3-4 tells us, ”Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”
