I WOULD HAVE PULLED JOSEPH OUT

Several years ago a lady by the name of Kimberly D. Henderson, sat down on a regular Sunday morning and typed out words she felt the Lord was impressing on her heart. They were words of encouragement written for a loved one who was going through an incredibly difficult season of life. It has ended up being the most shared writing she ever put out on social media, which has told her that it really was for far more than just the person she wrote it for. She has graciously allowed us to re post it here.

Please know that she has posted it on a permanent page on her blog – in case someone needs it that it can be easy to find. A link to that page will be posted at the bottom of this blog. Please know her words are not in any way excusing or allowing for abuse or neglect. Nor is her message about standing idly by while people are hurting. These words are for those times when you have prayed for yourself or for someone else and God has responded, “Trust Me.”

Please be encouraged by her message:


I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.

I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul’s spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. And I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.

I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power-hungry foe. And I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.

And I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of the path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. And I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.

And oh friend. I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain. But right now I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce.

He knows the beauty this hard will grow. He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. And He’s promising you that you can trust Him. Even when it all feels like more than you can bear.

So instead of trying to pull you out, I’m lifting you up. I’m kneeling before the Father and I’m asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I’m asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I’m asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. I’m asking Him how I can best love you and be a help to you. And I’m believing He’s going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you’ve been on.


© Kimberly D. Henderson, 2017

The link to Kimberly's permanent post, I Would Have Pulled Joseph Out.