Genesis 50:19–20: “Joseph said 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.'”

November 4th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Someone once said, “A guilty conscience makes cowards of us all.” It seems Joseph’s brothers felt sheltered and safe while their father was alive. But now that he was gone and Joseph was the second most powerful man in Egypt their past sins came back to haunt them. All that they had done to their little brother, wanting to kill him but instead selling him into slavery, pricked their conscience. They distrusted the genuineness of Joseph’s forgiveness and his love for them. Joseph reminded them of his own eternal perspective on the matter. His statement was designed to shock them back into reality. He said, “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Joseph clearly saw that God had been directing his life all through the long years of his imprisonment.

Joseph was in the exact place God intended him to be, at just the right moment in time to change the flow of human history. Joseph’s deeply insightful answer is perhaps the most classic statement of God’s sovereignty found in all of Scripture. He has left us this wonderful truth that God can take what man intends for evil and use it to save lives. Even though people sin against us, God can use it to bless our lives and the lives of others. He calls us to trust His all-powerful hand to bring good into whatever situation we are facing. Our story is not finished yet. God promises to continue to turn into good everything that comes our way. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been in life; there is no situation that God cannot use for good. God can take our lives and use them in His plan to impact this and future generations.

“Make it so, LORD.”