“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
As he interacted with his brothers, Joseph was able to set aside any personal feelings of pain, anger, and rejection. (See Genesis 37 for the tragic story of jealousy and betrayal that resulted in Joseph being sold into slavery.) Only by looking to God and seeing an eternal perspective was Joseph able to squelch the all-too-human desire for revenge or retribution against the brothers who betrayed him.
God used harm — those years of one man’s suffering — to provide deliverance for an entire nation. Joseph, the one who suffered, set aside his own pain to acknowledge and celebrate God’s provision.
Joseph embraced an eternal perspective.
An eternal perspective can only be developed over time … and it requires a heart and mind open to the possibility that God can work to bring good from difficult, challenging, and even heartbreaking circumstances.
Are there bitter events in your past that God has worked for good — or could work for the good? Do those past experiences empower you going forward to adopt a better-not-bitter attitude going into the next struggle?
As our faith muscle is exercised and grows, our past experiences bolster our faith going forward. We can then face our present and future challenges with the expectation that God can use today’s harm for tomorrow’s good.
Joseph’s life is proof that the bad things that happen can be used by God to bring good. In this week’s short devotional teaching, Laura reflects on Joseph’s circumstances and his focus on God in good times and bad. We invite you to listen and then visit our Downloads page for your copy of the January Write the WORD bookmark featuring Old Testament verses with the word, GOOD:
