Chapter 12

'God, I pray that You will help this child of Yours; shape him into what You want him to be. Amen.'

Ben placed his hand gently on the shoulder of a sobbing Joesph, giving him a manly pat.

"Why me, Lord?" Joseph cried "What is Your purpose? Why do I worry so much? Why do I feel so troubled? Why do I worry about the friends around me? Why can't I just forget about that horrid past and why just won't I stop worrying for my future? Why does it seem that... that You have forsaken me? WHY?"

More sobs. Tears of utter hurt and despair flowed.

"Why God? Why? I trusted in You!" wailed Joseph.

"Joseph, get a hold on yourself." Ben assured calmly, "In fact, I'm also clueless on how could such a thing happen, especially when you are just a new christian. But you know what the Bible says?"

"What does it say?" asked Joseph.

"Well, you know the Israelites, right? They were God's people. One day, they did a lot of bad stuff, what we know as sin. In the end, they had to be sent into exile. And you know what that means?"

Joseph shook his head.

"It means, it was a period where they are going to live in another land, a land called Babylon, where they were to be ruled over by other people. The worst thing was, the people there didn't worship God. But you know what the Lord says? He says in His letter to the Israelites in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

"If you are God's child, God has a GREAT plan for you. He wants the very best for you. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to be excited about the future. If you stay close to God, guess what? He will make your future the very best for you. That's something you can praise the Lord for!" exclaimed Ben, giving Joseph another pat on his back.

Joseph understood the message. God was always there. He recalled a science lesson on eclipses, where the moon blocked the sun. He finally came to understand, that God, just like the sun, is always there. Sometimes, He might be blocked by the trials of life, but He's still there. With Ben's help, He understood it.

"Let's pray, Joseph."

Both of them bowed their heads, as Ben uttered a prayer for Joseph.