Well said. In the last 6 months or so, I have been extremely blessed to help run a new ministry at our church which is a bible study for adults with intellectual and developmental handicaps. It is the most wonderful thing I have been involved with.
Last night's lesson was basically a review of Genesis - from the Almighty God who created all things AND holds all things together to the God who makes covenants with His people, and how He works in their lives to keep His covenant and to care for them. Although Joseph was betrayed and sold by his brothers and thrown into prison because someone lied about him, he very clearly proclaims that it was GOD who sent him (Gen 45:7-8).
In the same manner, there has never been ANYONE innocent of sin except for Christ Jesus the Lord and the unspeakable happened to Him. Why did these things happen? For His glory and our salvation. We don't understand it at the time, but knowing that God is totally sovereign is a source of great joy and peace when these things happen.
What is amazing is I pondered on how to tell that to a group of 30+ adults with Down's syndrome (who also have all sorts of physical issues), autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, and who knows what else. How do you tell them that these awful things happen for good? How do you tell them that if God is sovereign, then their disabilities are under His control?
The only way is to teach the Word. And the Word says that God is sovereign and in control and works out all things in the lives of His people for their good (Romans 8:28).
As always in this blessed ministry - they teach you more than you can teach them, I think. Their response to this back was pure joy in their spirit because they already knew it. They really understand Joseph's and Job's trials because in many ways that we don't know, this is their daily life.
Several came up to me after the lesson excited to share how the "bad" things that happened to them were a good thing. Not just the adult that saw how God brought her through the after effects of a stroke at the age of 16, but a young man of 20 with Down's who for many days was in critical condition from a lung infection. He wrote this poem and had it put to song - it says it all:
I was in the hospital
I thought I would die
I was tired and so sick
Even having nightmares
But God you saved me
Yes, you saved me
God you made a miracle out of me
You took away my sickness
You saved me from my pain
You gave me strength when I was weak
Yes, God, you made a miracle out of me
Now I feel so good
'cause Jesus stays by my side
Yes, now I feel so strong
It's a beautiful thing that God has done for me.
If anyone is interested in such a ministry at their church, freepmail me. There are a lot of excellent resources out there that make it easy to do this.
I loved what you posted and the poem.