Woven for Good
Genesis 50:20 is a word that has come to mind and been spoken over me many times in my life. It is a verse that comes to mind often for my clients. In English (NIV), it's rendered, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
I was looking at the Hebrew, thinking I might want to get a tattoo of the original text of "God intended it for good," and WOW, Google AI compiled some gems for me:
"The key word here is חֲשָׁבָהּ (cha·shav·ah), a form of the verb root chasav, which means to "weave" or "plait". Therefore, the Hebrew conveys that God "wove" or "rewove" what was intended for evil into a good plan, rather than simply "meaning" it for good." (Source material includes the websites ChaimBentorah, FaithGateway, Mechon Mamre, and Bible Hub).
The original words aren't "meant" or "intended." Rather, people "WOVE" (חֲשַׁבְתֶּם: (cha·šab·tem) evil into Joseph's life, but God "wove" (חֲשָׁבָהּ: (cha·šab·âh) GOODNESS into his life. An Old Testament agreement with Romans 8:28 in the New Testament (NLT): "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
Whoever, or whatever, "weaves" evil into your life, God turns it into a beautiful tapestry in the end.
God wins.
Good wins.
Years ago, I was on an airplane knitting a scarf for the first time. My stitches were uneven, and I noticed that the scarf was wider in some sections and narrower in others. I happened to be sitting next to an elderly woman who had been knitting most of her life, and she asked if she could "show me how it's done." In a flash, she had knitted a bunch of perfectly symmetrical rows, WAY FASTER.
I didn't end up redoing my work. I ended up keeping the whole thing. Because in the grand scheme of things, at the end of the day, what I have is a beautiful, long, warm, thick, woolen teal scarf. I don’t even notice the messy, uneven rows when I put it on.
And honestly, I love those messy rows. They're a reminder of when I was trying something new and stumbling and persevering. Looking at that scarf, I can see which rows were completed at the very beginning, which rows were completed by my elderly friend, and which rows were completed by me as I started to get better and better. It tells a story. And I wouldn't change a thing.
Maybe the weaving of your life looks like a hot mess right now. Maybe, unlike the kind woman I met on the plane, other people have woven parts into it that are ugly and even evil, abusive, and harmful.
But when you give your life to God, He becomes not only the pilot of the plane, but the friend sitting next to you. Give him what looks like a jumbled, chaotic, ugly mess, and see what he comes up with.
He will weave such glory into your life that even the messy parts will become a masterpiece.
