Love That Builds

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20.

When we think of God’s love, we often imagine comfort, peace, and blessing, and rightly so. But there is a deeper dimension of His love that is often misunderstood: the love that builds us through pain, matures us through delay, and strengthens us through hardship.

Joseph’s story is a vivid picture of this love.

Betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, separated and isolated from all the love and affection he ever knew, endured loneliness, untold hardships, falsely accused, and thrown into prison, Joseph had every reason to question God’s love. Yet behind every pit, prison, and painful pause was a divine hand, lovingly shaping a destiny bigger than Joseph could see.

God’s love did not spare him from suffering, but it sustained him through it, and in the end, elevated him to a place of purpose and honor.

This is because God’s love doesn’t always rescue us from the fire, it refines us in it.

True love doesn’t always feel good in the moment, but it always works for our good.

Like a potter shaping clay or a gardener pruning a vine, God uses every hardship to build strength, character, and faith in us, not to destroy, but to prepare us for the weight of glory ahead.

His love is not shallow, it is deep enough to walk with us through the valley and wise enough to let the valley prepare us for the mountain.

Father, thank You for a love that goes deeper than comfort. Help me to trust You even when it hurts, knowing You are building something beautiful in me. Just like Joseph, may I come out of every trial with a clearer vision of Your purpose and a heart full of grace. Amen.