THE STORY, Chapter 3
Genesis 37, 39, 41-48, 50

Never Forget this Passage

"Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it. This was to keep many people alive, as he is doing now." Genesis 50:20

What It Means

Jospeh's brothers intended to banish him from their world. First they were going to kill him, but then his brother Reuben intervened. They sold him into slavery and that ended it. Their brother was out of their lives. Decades later a drought drove his brothers to Egypt looking for food. Joseph, now second only to Pharaoh in Egypt, is able to speak the above words to his brothers. God had used his brothers' evil intent toward Joseph to save their very lives. Incredible.

God is doing this at every moment in all places on planet earth. Without this kind of constant intervening, turning evil plans on their head and using them for good, humanity would destroy itself.

And thank God for those who, like Joseph, consciously and intentionally arrange their lives around God's plans for and through them. Is that you?

Prayer

"Lord, please help me to view all misdeeds done to me by others as raw material for you to use to bring about good. And Lord, as I choose to believe this, help me to be among the Josephs of the world whom you use to heal the world. Amen"