By Melissa Sharp
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” Genesis 50:20
To say that the 11th annual Frog Hill Half Marathon had an unexpected ending would be an understatement. At approximately 9:59 a.m, 18-year-old Rudy Zevallos, a local high school senior who had recently been saved and baptized, crossed the finish line and immediately collapsed. Shockingly, although he was treated quickly, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. We could not absorb this tragic event! How could one so young be laughing and running one minute and then be gone the next? As you can imagine, this prompted many of us to not only pray for Rudy’s family, but to also pray that God would take this tragedy and work it for eternal good.
And God did!
On the morning of Rudy’s funeral, I received a message from my dear friend Joy who lives in the same town as his family. This was the exchange:
“You should know—our pews were full of youth—his friends—kids I’ve never seen in church before. And God moved big time.”
“This makes me cry tears of joy!!!” I responded. “That was my hope!!!!! Oh Lord, please use this to do a mighty work in our community!!!!”
And I had to smile again when Joy messaged me back, “I thought that would bring you some joy and peace. I truly believe lives are changing today. The altars were so full you couldn’t get to them.”
When it comes to finding joy and peace in the midst of sorrow and sadness, the story of Joseph is a beautiful picture of how God can take even the most hopeless situations and turn them into something good. After being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, Joseph went through a series of trials which landed him in prison where he interpreted the dream of Pharaoh. Eventually, he made second in command of the entire country of Egypt. God showed him that a great famine would occur so he began gathering enough grain for the people of Egypt to avoid starvation until the famine was over. When the famine reached the land Joseph’s family was in, his brothers were sent to buy grain. After a series of events, the brothers learned that the one in charge of the grain was the brother they had tried to kill. But… and this is where it gets good… when the brothers feared for their lives, Joseph assured them that it was all a part of God’s plan. He said,
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
Genesis 50:20
God is bigger and greater than any evil!
And if you think your situation is overwhelming, consider when Jesus was tried, mocked, beaten, crucified, and then buried in a borrowed tomb. The Bible says:
“When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.”
Matthew 27:59-60
Jesus’ followers were in despair. The tomb was sealed. It was guarded by the enemy but they walked away. The situation seemed without remedy right? But then came the third day…
“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.””
Matthew 28:1-7
Jesus conquered the ultimate enemy of all humanity—death! And so we have GREAT hope! No matter what you’re facing today—even if it is the great specter of death—when you appropriate the gift of salvation (just like Rudy), you have a hope that nothing can steal your eternal life. We all have bodies that will eventually die, but God gives our soul and spirit the great gift of eternal life when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus provided a way for us to escape hell. His real love is worth living for—even in the greatest of storms.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever which means He can be trusted to take any and all “bad” situations and work them for our good and for the good of many. That’s what He does.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being the same God today that You were for Joseph. You are always faithful to us, Lord; help us to be faithful to you! Help us to trust that You will work each of our situations for good in ways that only You can. It’s in Your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.
