Writer, author, and speaker Lysa TerKeurst recently drew some parallels between Joseph’s life and her own when she spoke at Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both TerKeurst and Joseph had significant and painful twists and turns in their lives that often seemed to contradict what God had said. But God’s truth rang out: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
“With God, there is always a ‘meanwhile,'” said TerKeurst.
Lysa TerKeurst Speaks of Trusting God for Unexpected Good
Life rarely looks like what people had originally pictured. TerKeurst shared beautiful pictures of her now-blended family. She also painted the reality of the hurt and pain that led to those photographs. After a “devastating” divorce, TerKeurst’s trust in others was shattered, and she began to project that mistrust onto God.
She wondered, then, if Joseph had the same struggles trusting God. After God gave Joseph visions of leadership, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. TerKeurst argued, though, “Throughout Joesph’s story, God has been developing his character to match his calling.”
After she summarized Joseph’s “promotion” to prison, TerKeurst pointed out, “With God, there is always a ‘meanwhile.'” Prison was the least likely next step on Joseph’s trajectory to be the leader God envisioned him to be.
TerKeurst admitted that when she is struggling, the “last thing” she feels like doing is “picking up the Bible.” But she sees how “spiritually disillusioned” she can become if she doesn’t.
“When we want to read the Bible the least is often when we absolutely need to read it the most,” said TerKeurst, adding that the God-inspired text is full of accounts of God’s love and plan prevailing over the most twisted and dire of circumstances.
TerKeurst continued, “When I start assuming that I know what a good God should do, I start attaching my hope on what I assume a good God should do. But, then if God does not follow my plan, I start to get super agitated, super frustrated, and even sometimes doubtful.”
She explained, “Why isn’t God doing what I assume a good God should do? I have a plan, and then I’m trying to hold God accountable to the plan of my own making.” TerKeurst continued to share how she attempted to convince God of her own plan, rather than following him. “This is the plan. This is what the plan should be,” she told God. “Don’t you see it’ll make you look good, God?”
“When you’re in a situation right now, and you cannot possibly see how God is going to work this out, go back and start tracing the hand of God’s faithfulness,” said TerKeurst. “I see it now. I didn’t see it at the time, but I see it now.”
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TerKeurst shared that, at her lowest point after her marriage ended, she took a summer off because she was unable to work. She couldn’t write or contribute to ministry. She ended up taking care of some appointments she had put off—including a mammogram. After a series of tests, TerKeurst was diagnosed with breast cancer and quickly went through treatment. The author quoted her doctor in calling the situation a “miracle”—that she came in when she did and caught the cancer early enough for a full recovery.
