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Read: Genesis 50:15-21
Listen: Genesis 50

“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

After twenty-two years and Jacob’s death, Joseph’s brothers fear his revenge. The memory of how Joseph pleaded and begged to be let go echoes in their minds. However, Joseph sees something they cannot. Through time, healing and perspective, he recognizes God’s creative ability to use the awful, ugly and disastrous to bring about good no one could predict. God used unwise favoritism, venomous hatred, treachery and betrayal to position Joseph to save his entire family from famine. The place of his deepest pain becomes the place of great blessing for his family.

God is not restricted to using good materials to achieve a good end. His desire and ability to use painful situations for purposes we cannot imagine at the time is simply his way. God has a wide-angle lens that sees beyond our lifetime into future generations. We don’t need to minimize our pain or sugarcoat suffering, but we can trust that God is at work in ways we don’t see yet. The same creative God who worked through Joseph’s story of unimaginable betrayal to bring about physical survival and spiritual rescue also works in our lives.

TODAY: Offer a prayer of trust in God in your challenging situation. Pray this prayer out loud and with open hands, “God, I didn’t ask for ____________. I don’t like this. I don’t understand this. But I trust you in this.” Explore Joseph’s story and God’s creative work further on the Beyond the Weekend Podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or on YouTube here.