Proverbs 12:21 "There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief."

When I read this verse this morning, I thought, "Wait a second! What about Job? Evil happened to him! What about Joseph? Or the blind man that Jesus healed? The disciples asked Jesus who had sinned to cause this man to be blind? Obviously they were looking at the situation the way we often do. "What a pitty that person is going through so much. They must have some secret sin that God is either judging or trying to purge them from. If only they were more like me!" Some of us though who have gone through trials before know that the reason is often past our earthly comprehension. Jesus responded to his disciples in John 9 and verse 3, "Neither this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." This man was born blind to bring God glory! There is a song callee blessings that I heard recently. The chorus asks, "What if your blessings fall like rain drops? What if your healing comes through pain? What if a thousand sleepless nights is what it takes to know He's near? What if the trials of this life are His mercies in disguise?" My Bible reading then took me to Genesis where I read the story of Joseph, a young Hebrew boy who had the favor of his father because of who his mother was and the hatred of his brothers because of his fathers favor. This wasn't something Joseph asked for or even deserved, but not once does the Bible record him blaming God or complaining to Him. Joseph was sold by his own brothers into slavery, and then, just when life started looking up, Potiphar's wife had to slander him for a sin he didn't commit, and he was thrown in prison. What? Where was God in all his? Could it be that he was busy working this trial out for good? Maybe the trials Joseph was going through truly were God's mercy in disguise. My Bible reading hasn't yet taken me to the point where we see what God was doing, but admittedly I cheated and I think I know what's going to happen. Joseph could have sat in prison and gotten bitter, but instead he chose to focus on the goodness of God. Again things started looking up for Joseph and God miraculously made him second in command in the land of Egypt. Wow! But why? Was God simply rewarding Joseph for his faithfulness? Maybe, but I think God had an even bigger plan! You see, there was a famine that covered the land and only Egypt was profiting from it. Because of God's favor on his life, Joseph knew about the famine before it happened and had prepared Egypt to face this national disaster. Things weren't going quite so well for Jacob's family. The famine had hit them hard and they decided to go to Egypt where they could buy food so that they would not die. If you haven't read the story yourself then I encourage you to do so, but for the sake of those who have already heard it I'm going to cut to the chase. When Joseph's brothers realized that the man they were bowing before, begging for food and forgiveness, was their long-lost, sold-into-slavery brother, they knew they deserved His worst wrath. But through all his trials, Joseph must have recognized that the raindrops that were hitting him were meant to make him stronger and help him to grow. Josephs response to his brothers was this, "Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good to bring to pass, as it is today, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones." Oh the picture of grace Joseph's response is. Similar to the grace of the One who died for you and me, and cried, "Father, forgive them! They know not what they do." Our Savior knew that He had come to die. He knew the purpose of the blood that was flowing from his veins and covering the ground. It was to buy victory and freedom for you and me! Our Father controls the raindrops that fall on you and me. Always remember that there is a reason and purpose for the storm. "What if the trials of this life are His mercies in disguise?"