What Looks Like a Curse May Be a Blessing

Many people are very excited that 2020 is coming to an end. Loved ones have been lost, workers have been laid off from jobs, and the world has been turned upside down due to COVID-19. However, have you stopped to think of the blessings that have been tucked away in this horrid situation that has blanketed the earth? I have, and I have come to realize that 2020 had a number of blessings for me. So, permit me to count my blessings one by one.

· I deepened my relationship with God and others

· I gained new friends

· I was able to have a long overdue sabbatical in which God provided for me in so many unexpected ways

· Having to use the internet to connect enabled the ministry to go global and the world could also come to us easily

· After nine years of ministry, I now have a leadership team which consists of folks in the U.S. military, fulfilling a vision that God had given me at the inception of the ministry to make the military be a part of it

All these blessings came out from the curse of the coronavirus. If you too look closely at your life this year, you may be surprised at how many blessings you can come up with. God has a way of making what the devil meant for harm turn out for good. Joseph knew this all too well having been thrown into a pit by his siblings and sold into slavery, then he was wrongfully accused resulting in a jail sentence where he was forgotten by a man whose dream he correctly interpreted. Life for Joseph was rough, but the pit, Potiphar’s house and prison were all preparing him for God’s promise and purpose. David’s journey to the throne was also a rocky road. It took around 15 years from God anointing him before he took his place as king. Those 15 years were very challenging. He was on the run from Saul, lived in caves, had many fights, lost his family, his men turned against him and so much more. But, this was all a part of God’s plan as He refined David through the fiery trials so that he could come out gold and ready for the kingship.

Let’s not forget all the issues that the prophets faced. God told Isaiah to go about walking barefoot and naked for three years as a sign to His people, Hosea had to marry a cheating harlot, and Ezekiel had to eat a scroll and also consume bread cooked over cow dung and that was God giving him a break because it could have been human excrement. Then there was the poor weeping prophet, Jeremiah, who was dreadfully abused by the very people he was trying to help. Also, Elijah, after an overwhelming victory against Jezebel’s prophets, ran for his life from her ending up in the wilderness and then traveled 40 days and 40 nights to stay in a cave. Jesus himself spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil just before his public ministry began. Too often, we want the glory of the public ministry, but we do not want the tests of our wilderness season. Yet, these tests are not without purpose. They prepare us for God’s plan for our lives – those very plans which are to prosper us and not to harm us, but to give us hope and a future. (See Jeremiah 29:11). What may look like a curse could be a major blessing.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE. " Galatians 3:13

Jesus became a curse for us so that we could be blessed with eternal life. Through Him becoming a curse we were blessed. Remember also, that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28. Things may have gone badly, but ask God to show you the good that He has worked out of it. I have found that even my failures show God’s goodness. Therefore, let us take a look again at 2020 and see what blessings God has given us throughout the year. We can’t be sure how long the negative impact of the coronavirus will last, but one thing is for sure and that is God’s character will never change and His goodness still abounds.