Seeing the Greater Purpose – 2 Corinthians 4:7-17
I recently watched the “Youngstown Boys.” It’s a ESPN short film about former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and his players from Youngstown, Ohio. Here is Tressel’s thoughts regarding Maurice Clarett: “People wanted me to give up on him, but you don’t easily give up on someone you love. Your goals and perspective are constantly being revised because of circumstances, but your purpose, the reason you are here on the earth, supersedes circumstances; what you are going through, and why? Maybe that’s why his goals (speaking of Clarett) didn’t come to pass. It’s because they didn’t align with his purpose. However, the entire time, it was his goals and the adversity that he experienced that led him to a greater purpose.”
We have probably all at one time or another found ourselves in a place of fear, frustration, or failure, focusing on our circumstances, while forgetting there may be a greater purpose to what we are going through. Let me say it this way: “We focus so much on what we are going though, that we sometimes fail to see there might be a purpose behind, what we are going through.” The purpose may not be the circumstance itself, the purpose is usually far greater and farther down the road than we can even think or see. You need to ask God for the wisdom to see the greater purpose while finding the courage to confront the circumstance allowing you the strength and the grace to sustain through the season of the whatever it is that you may be facing.
Here are some quotes regarding mindsets, perspective and belief:
– Maurice Clarett – “when you have the right mindset everything else just lines up.”
– Joel Osteen – “opposition is not meant to stop you but establish you.”
– Darius Daniels – “all God’s promises are occupied with opposition.”
– Mark Batterson – “adversity is the seed bed of opportunity.”
– Robert Alan Collins – “adversity & opposition are not meant to destroy you – they are meant to develop you while revealing God’s purpose and your destiny.”
– Rick Warren – “Every storm is a school. Every trial is a teacher. Every experience is an education. Every difficulty is for your development.”
The Apostle Paul in Acts 16:25-40 experienced hardship but there was a greater purpose to what he was experiencing. He was falsely accused, beaten and thrown in prison. This passage tells us that at midnight in shackles and chains held confined in the darkest part of the prison cell Paul began to sing praises to God at midnight. Why? Because he enjoyed being falsely accused? No! Why? Because he was glad to be in jail? No! Why? Because he loved the sting of the stripes on his back? NO! It was because Paul realized there was a greater purpose and although he may not have understand at the time, he praised God and trusted Him in spite of his circumstances. The greater purpose was the Philippian Jailer and his family being saved.
Here are 7 things we can learn form this:
1. Be careful what you say and how you say it.
2. Don’t complain about what God may be using.
3. Your response could be a key to someone else’s future and freedom.
4. Sing God’s praises and don’t magnify the circumstance.
5. God can use the natural to produce the supernatural.
6. Don’t allow your response to be based on assumptions.
7. The trial ends when God’s purpose is accomplished.
Here are some examples of – “maybe there is a greater purpose that I don’t see, but I can trust God praise Him in spite of my circumstances.”
*Paul & Silas – “maybe the stocks and chains weren’t meant to keep Paul bound – maybe they were to loose the spirit of God’s love.”
*Paul & Silas – “maybe the cell doors opening weren’t meant to set Paul free – maybe they were opened to open the heart of the Philipian jailer.”
*Gideon and His Mighty Army – “maybe the depletion of Gideon’s army wasn’t to set him up for defeat – maybe it was to prove you can trust God because He is faithful!
*The Children of Israel and the Red Sea – “maybe the Red Sea wasn’t meant to the delay the promised land – maybe it was meant to destroy Pharaoh’s Army.
*Daniel in the Lions Den – “maybe the lions den wasn’t meant to destroy Daniel – maybe it was to prove to Daniel and everyone else that you can rest in the midst of intimidation, fear, and being devoured.”
*Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – “maybe the fire wasn’t meant to destroy the 3 Hebrew Children – maybe it was meant to destroy what bound them, while proving to everyone that you can walk through a fiery trail without losing your faith or being destroyed!”
*Jesus – “without a betrayal there wouldn’t have been a trial – without a trial there wouldn’t have been a cross – without a cross there wouldn’t have been a death – without a death there wouldn’t have been a tomb – without a tomb there wouldn’t have been a resurrection – without a resurrection there wouldn’t have been redemption for all mankind!”
In all of these scenarios from the Bible there was a greater purpose. Don’t get discouraged, there may a greater purpose to the circumstances you are facing. You may never know or totally understand, but you can trust God and praise Him in the midst of what you are going through right now, because there could be a greater purpose to what you are going through. What you thought would destroy you, God used to develop you. Don’t despise what you are going through, there may be a greater purpose!