The Next Right Thing
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Memory Verse
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (NIV)
Life can be pretty disappointing sometimes. Plans can change in a split second. Things we took for granted are suddenly taken away and everything seems new and uncertain. Have you felt like this lately? School may be different for you this year. The way you hang out with your friends is different. You may feel scared. In the middle of all this change, you may be wondering “What next?” Joseph could relate. He really went through some horrible changes. He was beaten up, thrown in a well, and then sold into slavery by his own brothers! What next?
Have you heard the song from Disney’s Frozen II, “The Next Right Thing”? The singer, Anna, has lost her sister and her closest friends and feels crushed by the loss. She cannot look too far ahead, but she realizes she CAN do the next right thing that is in front of her. Joseph could have sung this song. Throughout the rest of his amazing story (found in Genesis 39 and following), Joseph makes the most of every situation that he finds himself in, no matter how scary. He chose to look for the opportunities God gave him to do his will. Through those small choices, Joseph rose to a job in which he was able to save his entire family. Once he met his brothers again, Joseph was able to see God’s plan at work. He told his brothers, “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 you go through troubles, God is still with you. He is working out a plan that you might not be able to see, but he will place small opportunities in your path to do his will. It is in those small choices to do the next right thing that God works big things.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, even when life seems uncertain and disappointing, help me to always be on the lookout for the next right thing that you have for me to do. I am sorry for the times I missed chances you gave me. Give me your eyes to see the people right in front of me who need your help. In Your Name, Amen.Related Resources
Heather Altena
Heather Altena grew up in West Michigan, moved to the West Coast, and now lives just two blocks west of Chicago. She attends Pullman Christian Reformed Church and works various teaching-, literary-, writing-, theater-, and computer-related related jobs for the Southwest Chicago Christian School Association. She and her husband, Christian, have four children in their teens and twenties and are learning the truth of the magnet on their fridge: "The first 40 years of parenting are the hardest."