A person doesn’t have to read the old testament very long to see a pattern.
Some dude becomes a king and in the beginning, it’s all good. He does what is pleasing to the Lord. And so the king gains more power, more success.
But with that power and success comes a problem….
The king becomes proud.
And the king departs from God.
This is the pattern I’ve been reading as I find myself alternating back and forth between Kings and Chronicles.
Enter Uzziah.
This is his story.
He did what was pleasing to the Lord and God blessed him. God gave him victory over his enemies and much success.
2 Chronicles 26:15 says his fame spread far and wide for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.
Yet that power and influence does what it so easily can do….
It inflated his head and corrupted his heart.
Scripture tells us in the very next verse that when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. (v16)
Uzziah didn’t just disobey God, he spat in the face of the Lord’s holiness.
And God struck Uzziah with leprosy.
The Bible doesn’t tell us much more, except that he had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house and his son was put in charge.
It’s easy to read those final verses of the story, feel a bit sorry for Uzziah, a bit sobered by God’s judgment, and declare the whole thing a tragedy.
But what if it wasn’t?
What if getting struck by leprosy was the best thing that could have happened to Uzziah?
What if that leprosy was the catalyst that brought about repentance? What if those final years of isolation provided Uzziah with a clarity he wouldn’t have otherwise had–a reminder of who he was and who God is? What if God used those diseased years to draw Uzziah back to Himself?
What if God turned an awful, temporary affliction into a man’s eternal salvation?
This is truth:
God can turn suffering into blessing.
He can turn something like leprosy or cancer or infertility or (insert any number of afflictions) inside out and upside down.
He can use the curses of this world to drive us to our knees, closer to Him.
And isn’t that where our blessing ultimately lies? At the foot of the cross. At the throne room of the King.
Let’s Talk: What “curses” has God used to be a blessing in your life?
Thank you, Caroline Flory, for making that quote from Wishing on Willows look all pretty!
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This seems even the more beautiful after I read Wishing on Willows. I really liked that scene and what truth behind those words!
Tell the World
Two big life changers: infertility and bankruptcy. Both happened in the midst of us thinking we had it all together and taught us how much we truly need God. After 15 years, He blessed us with adoption. Our daughter is 14 now. Five years ago we filed for bankruptcy. As awful as the process was, I never felt so close and so dependent on God. How do unbelievers function is this crazy, unpredictable world?
I’ve dealt with the first, not the second. So I feel for you sister. I don’t know how unbelievers do it either! Some people say faith is a crutch. I say no, no, no. It is WAY more than a crutch. It is the very legs that keep me standing.
I love this! Such a great post and so very true. There is beauty in brokeness.
Thanks Amber! I so agree – somehow, that cross is the epitome of brokenness and beauty, love and justice. I love the way our God works.
This is beautiful! I have experienced this Grace from pain in my like though at the time I was not aware of Grace right away.
Hindsight itself is a blessing, isn’t it? So glad this post blessed you Patricia!
Yes, I firmly believe this and I don’t know what curses I have, but there’s definitely worries and they’re hard to let go of. I should work on that. Maybe it’s a matter of remember who God is in my life.
I’ve been doing this thing lately where I keep a worry journal. I write down all my worries in the morning, surrender them in the name of Jesus Christ, and ask Him to fill up the empty space with His peace. It’s done WONDERS for my worry!!
This is a beautiful post, Katie, and a beautiful reminder. What’s interesting to me is that often I seem to be able to look at the curses in others’ lives and see how God might use them as a blessing. But in my own life, it’s too easy to just complain about a “curse” and forget that God can use it for good. So you’ve got me thinking today… 🙂
Thanks Melissa! And I’m totally the same way!!
I love this reminder. It is a picture of God’s love. When my husband lost his job…I couldn’t believe God would let that happen to us. Looking back now…I see the many blessings.
I thank God for hindsight all the time. It’s amazing how much clearer things become when we’re out of the mess, isn’t it?