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Genesis 50:15-20

And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive

 

On March 15, 1990 in the Bering Sea just off Alaskan coast. The crab boat called “Alaskan Monarch” was out on the sea with a full crew aboard. All of a sudden a storm blew in rocking the boat violently. The waves swelled to 15-20 ft. immediately the captain radioed for help. Soon Coast Guard helicopters were hovering over the boat. One by one, the unsteady helicopter picked up four sailors from the deck.

 

Chuck West, the chief engineer gives this account of the ordeal as he was down below rescuing important documents. Suddenly a large chunk of ice rent the bow. The captain gave orders to ‘Abandon Ship’ They went topside and waited for the helicopters to pick them up. While they were waiting, a large wave swept over the boat and swept the captain and him into icy waters. A large ice chunk fell upon him and was weighing him down and kept pushing him under. He would bob to the surface just long enough to get some air. When he came up for what seemed like his last breath for air he saw huge chunks of ice headed right toward him.

 

He said, “I thought, this was it, this is the wave that’s going to kill me.” However, as the wave washed over him, not only did none of the ice chunks touch him, but the wave swept away the block of ice that was pressing him down! He was then able to come to the surface and the coast guard rescued him!

 

In the course of the interview, he said something that was really profound, “its amazing…………..the wave that I thought was going to kill me saved my life!”

 

I feel as though there is someone reading this and you feel as though you’re in that exact situation. Things were going well for you and suddenly without warning a wave of tribulation has swept you from your place of firm footing into a sea of confusion. Now, your problems are pressing you under and it’s all you can do to come up now and then for another gasp of air. And maybe earlier today, you were able to lift your head and look around.

 

But instead of the rescue you so desperately desire, you see another wave of problems rushing toward you. And in this wave, you see what the elements of your destruction are certainly. Maybe you are reading this today saying, “This is it, I give up, this is the wave that’s going to kill me!” But I came to tell you, That wave you think is going to kill you is going to save your life! That which was designed to ELIMINATE you is going to ELIVATE you! That which was designed to RUIN you will RESCUE you! What you feel is working AGAINST you is working FOR you! What was designed to DESTROY you will DELIVER you before it’s over! What the enemy meant for EVIL, God is going to use for GOOD!

 

You may be saying that I don’t know what your situation is. No, I don’t know your situation, but I DO know what the book says! It says,

 

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 54:17

 

Now, the Bible doesn’t say that everything that happens to you is going to be good! It says that all things, either good or bad will work together for your ultimate good!

 

When the Master Baker has mixed up everything in your life, and put you in the oven at just the right temperature for just the right amount of time, you’ll come out as pure gold! I know that there are bad things happening to you right now and yes, the devil has meant them for your destruction, but God has another plan! He’s going to take those bad things, and turn them for your good! The devil meant them for evil, but God is going to use it for your good! The devil designed it to destroy you, but God is going to use it to deliver you! The wave that was sent to kill you is going to save your life!

 

I can stand confidently on the Word today and tell you, you will live and not die, you will be the head and not the tail, you will be above and not beneath, you will be delivered and not destroyed. The thing that looks as though it will destroy you is actually going to deliver you! It’s going to wash some things away that are holding you down!