BLESSING OR CURSE? – GOD’S IN CONTROL!

By Helen Jesze, 26th February 2016

“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.”

Romans 8, 28 The Way Translation

The story goes about an old forester who lived with his son. They were poor as the proverbial church-mice but owned a beautiful white horse. Every day they gathered sticks to sell, in order to survive. The villagers laughed, saying they should sell their horse, but the old man said he would not sell “his friend”, but would trust in God.

One day the horse was not in his stall. Everyone said he had been stolen and told the old man he should have taken their advice, then at least he would have a lot of money. But soon the horse returned, bringing a whole herd of wild horses with him.

“Oh, just look,” the neighbours cried, “Your curse has turned into a blessing!”

While breaking in the wild horses, the son broke both his legs. Again the people laughed at the old forester and his son.

“Your blessing has become a curse now!” they cried.

But soon a war broke out and all the young men were sent to fight.

“Oh, old man, all our sons will be killed but your son cannot go because his legs are broken! Your curse has become a blessing again!”

Whether this story is true or not, I cannot say, but I heard a true story from a missionary about a beautiful young girl who had recently come to faith in Jesus Christ, then contracted smallpox. She recovered but was left with a scarred face. The girl mourned for her lost looks, but when bandits overran the village shortly after, killing the men and raping the women, they did not touch her, saying she was too ugly. God had turned her ‘curse’ into a blessing.

Elisabeth Mittelstädt came to speak at one of my “Women’s Aglow” rallies. She described how she was raped as a teenager, became pregnant and a doctor aborted the baby without her permission. This shock and grief added to the burden of guilt, shame and despair she was already carrying.

Due to a medical mistake she was left in constant terrible pain and was tempted to take her own life. Just at that moment, God spoke to her of the millions of women who are in pain of some kind, not just physical pain, and called her to minister to them. As a child and when she was growing up, she had had a dream of becoming a writer. God resurrected this dream and showed her that all the traumatic experiences in her life had prepared her for this mission. Elisabeth later founded and edited the Christian German magazine – “Lydia”, which now goes into 100 nations, encouraging millions of women.

Positive and negative things happen to every one of us, and what looked like a blessing one day might quickly change to the opposite, while God, who is All-powerful and All-wise can change adverse circumstances to become something of great worth. Whatever Life or satan throws at us, God will not even waste these, but will use them to work out His glory in us, and prepare us to help others who have the same needs.

What are you struggling with at the moment? Is depression or grief the first thing to greet you in the morning, or are they your companions through the dark night hours? When it is morning do you wish it was night? When it is night do you wish it was morning?

Even though you may not understand, put it all into the hands of our Heavenly Father, who will turn every curse into a blessing, as only He can!

Prayer: O Lord, you see every joy and everything I am struggling with at the moment. I place all these things into your hands today – work out your purposes in my life and for your glory.

You are the Greatest Winner of all Time and you live in me. Use me to help others to come out of their valleys, even as you have helped me!

I praise and thank you for doing an effectual work in me today! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.