Beautifully Broken- A Study For Special Needs ParentsSample

Providence and sovereignty mean what, exactly?

God sees how all things will come to pass and has supreme power over all he has  created. These two truths about God can be tough topics when we have a hard time understanding the why of our situations; when our special needs life is overwhelming us, and nothing seems to make any sense. How can the brokenness we witness and experience be a part of God's plan? Maybe we just haven't understood providence in a way that we can articulate properly. Are we scared to explain to a world that seeks perfection, that views suffering as not worthwhile or burdensome, that disabilities are a part of God's plan?

God's plans aren't laid out to us in advance so life's jarring events can take us by complete surprise. We plan and God redirects. We have such a limited focus, we can't clearly see the whole picture. By looking at scripture we can see numerous examples of both God's providence and sovereignty  intertwined in the history of His people, both individually and as a whole, that will help us understand God's character better for when life doesn't make sense. Your special needs journey has not taken God by surprise.

Remember Joseph, the beloved boy with a beautiful coat, and the impact the  detours in his life made? Joseph repeatedly suffered through unfortunate  circumstances that seemed inexplicable and completely unfair. Joseph didn't deserve a single one of the bad things that happened to him.  Joseph's life had been full of family dysfunction, sibling rivalry, abandonment, accusations of rape, and imprisonment. It seemed his life had gone awry at every turn. This was not the expected path of this beloved son or the future Joseph had dreamed of.

In Genesis 45:4-8, Joseph says twice that his brothers sold him into slavery, into bondage in Egypt. But then he also says three times that God had sent him to Egypt. Which one is true? Couldn't both be true? Both views tell the same truths of his journey. Joseph is not contradicting himself. He's stating a theological concept. While yes, his brothers are responsible for their poor, sinful actions, ultimately God can and does use situations like Joseph's for His glory and sovereign purpose. Joseph was in a position of influence and authority, because of the hard times he  experienced. But his firm belief in God's providence allowed him to forgive his brothers for their horrible mistreatment of him and see God's hand over it all. Joseph knew God had used the awful circumstances to bring about a glorious  redemption story.

Joseph never "deserved" the  bad things that happened to him. And yet he was able to be fully confident that our providential God had led him to endure such hardships for a divine purpose. People have a hard time believing in God's providence when they see so many things that don't make sense. Pain, suffering, and disabilities make people jump to the conclusion that God isn't good because he doesn't stop these things from happening. We have a difficult time wrapping our brains around our circumstances because we think it should turn out differently. But God has a plan and a purpose that goes beyond what we can initially see and He can be trusted to work things out. Just like Joseph, getting on the other side of suffering gives us a new perspective, allowing us to see God was in our circumstances all along.

Reflection:

Why did Joseph have such confidence in God's providence?

Was Joseph bitter over the hardships he'd endured?

Can you trust God to take your situation and turn it into something good?