The Principle of God's Purpose

Paul wrote in Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Some versions say, "God causes all things to work together for good." When we accept Christ as our Savior, He then becomes the architect of our future. He designs, directs, and coordinates every minute detail of our life so that we can become the person he intends us to be.

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis reminds us of this. If you remember, His brothers sold him into slavery and told their father he had died. Joseph then became a slave to a man named Potipher. He was then put in prison because Potipher's wife accused him of sexual assault. He was innocent, of course. But God working through these seemingly horrible and certainly stress-inducing events to accomplish a greater purpose for Joseph's life. Joseph eventually became the second-in-command in Egypt. He was able to save the country from economic ruin brought on by the effects of a disastrous drought. But he was also able to save his entire family as well. When his brothers came to him, they pleaded with him, "Please don't seek revenge against us," Joseph said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." (Genesis 50:20 NLT)

God has a purpose for your life and knows exactly how to orchestrate the events of your life to accomplish His purpose. And His purpose is far greater than anything you could purpose for yourself! And let me just reassure you of one thing...you don't have to understand all the details of God's purpose for your life to be a part of it. You just have to trust him.

So when it appears that random things are happening in my life, I often remind myself that there's no such thing as random events for my life. God has a plan. He has a purpose. He's working all things together for good.And when I trust in his purpose, stress loses its power.