Tag Archives: devotionals by paula harrington

I remember him sitting in a wheelchair in the front of the church building

The View by Paula Harrington

Joseph had a lot of problems. It started with family turmoil, and then problems at work which led to him having to serve prison time unjustly. However, throughout all his bad times he never lost sight of God. When Potiphar’s wife had eyes for Joseph, his eyes were on the Lord (Genesis 39:9).

When he was asked by Pharaoh to interpret a dream, he gave God the glory (Genesis 41:16) and when he rose to power in Egypt, he spoke of God’s providence (Genesis 50:20). Joseph had a great view of life.

Joseph’s story reminds me of another faithful child of God who had a godly view in difficult times. My father was a gospel preacher from central Arkansas who was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 1976 at the age of twenty-seven. I remember him sitting in a wheelchair in the front of the church building, preaching his final sermon.

His speech was slow and slurred yet he spoke with resolve and hope. He said that we were all going to die, but he was blessed to know that his time was coming very soon. My father didn’t let a terminal illness keep him from God. In fact, he took a diagnosis that many would call a curse and proclaimed it as a blessing. What a view!

Christians must keep a positive view of our situations. May we always see that our God is bigger than our problems and keeping him in sight will give us peace and comfort in times of trouble and heartache.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

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