As I have been doing my work outside, I have been listening to a lot of Worship music. One of the lines that has caught my attention is this line. “You took what the enemy meant for evil and turned it for good…you turn it for good”. I think it is a song by Elevation worship called See a Victory. That line about evil being turned into good goes back to the story of Joseph. He was thrown in a pit by his brothers, sold as a slave in Egypt, imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, then eventually became Prime Minister and helped to save the lives of millions. When his brothers finally meet up with him, they are worried he will take his revenge, but instead he replies with this wonderful sentence. “ As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” The enemy may have one purpose which is always evil, but God has another, to turn bad and difficult situations into something good.
Jesus did this at the cross. We are taking communion most days at present, and it is a constant reminder that what the enemy thought was the end of Jesus, was in fact a great victory. Through the cross, sin was defeated. We now have power over the enemy, and eternal life.As we look at the horrible devastation caused by the covid-19 epidemic, it is at first difficult to see any good, but here are a few examples. People are stopping and considering their hurried lives more, families are spending time together, many in the country are praying for the government and the prime minister Boris Johnson. I believe that the cabinet even prayed for his life when he was in intensive care. My son, a teacher in London was very concerned when their twins were born that his wife would be left on her own to manage, but through the lockdown, he has had to do his teaching work from home, and has had precious time at home with the family.
So what about each of us? Can we be thankful first for the victory of the cross and all the good that comes out of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let’s look at what is happening now through the lockdown, and give thanks for the good things in our own and other’s lives.
