Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. They sold him! I have younger siblings. And I admit there have been times I’ve thought this sounded like a good idea. But these guys actually did it! Can you imagine the betrayal Joseph must have felt? The outrage? The terror? Overnight, Joseph was a slave.
Sometimes our lives take detours too—disappointments, illnesses, or any number of other unwelcome surprises. At those moments, we often forget God is the One in control. When that happens, we can be well served to look at Joseph’s example.
Joseph’s next thirteen years were an amazing story of hard knocks, unfair treatment, and prison. Eventually, he rose to a place of power and used it to save his family’s lives, but his brothers were still terrified Joseph would exact his revenge. But look how Joseph responded to them: “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive†(Genesis 50:19-20).
Joseph understood God had a plan all along. From our historical vantage point, we can also see God was doing much more than just saving Joseph’s family. He was preserving the line through which He would one day redeem the world—the line that would lead to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior.
When we end up on one of life’s detours, we can follow Joseph’s example and trust God is at work in every circumstance, bringing about His good kingdom purposes through even the most broken of situations (Romans 8:28). And He is with us every step of the way (Matthew 28:20). • Michelle Isenhoff
• Can you remember a time when you suffered a disappointment?
• Joseph was an ancestor of Jesus. What ways does your life interact with the story of the gospel?
• Can you think of other examples, in your life or in the lives of others, when God used a bad situation for good?
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20 (NKJV)
Read Verses:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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