All for Good

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20

Sometimes when you are going through difficult things it’s hard to see the good. What good can come out of a bad situation? Surely that’s what Joseph was thinking. Things started out quite innocent. He was just a 17-year-old boy with a dream when his brothers threw him into a pit and then sold him into slavery.

For the next thirteen years, Joseph experienced one difficult situation after another. He was lied about, thrown into prison, and forgotten. But God’s favor was on Joseph and the Lord gave him a special ability to interpret dreams.

At the age of 30, Joseph was summoned from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Because God gave Joseph the ability to interpret the dream, he was made second in command in all of Egypt. Then the famine came.

Enter Joseph’s brothers. They came to Egypt looking for food and bowed down to Joseph just like they did in the dream he had as a youth. You would think Joseph would have been furious. They were the ones responsible for all his hardships. It was their actions that landed him in prison.

But instead of being angry, Joseph recognized the sovereignty of God. “You intended to harm me,” Joseph tells his brothers, “but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

Even though God did not cause the difficulties in Joseph’s life, He used them for good and for His glory. You may not see the good right now but don’t lose hope. God turned things around for Joseph and He can turn them around for you.