Romans 50:20 “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” Today is an excellent example of how good God is! God can use all things for our good. Today I talk about Joseph and all the crappy things he had to endure before things turned around. Eventually he became the second most powerful person in Egypt. Yet, he had to endure 13 years in prison before this could happen. God can use all the awful things in your life for your good too. Just keep walking forward. Keep moving and one day it will make a bit more sense. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
God Intended It For Good
Romans 50:20 “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.”
I love this verse. I love Joseph. He persevered through so much stuff in his life. He was one of 12 boys in his family. Joseph was loved by his father more than the others because his mother was the woman he had first fallen in love with. His father had given Joseph this nice, colorful coat. Joseph was assigned to go with his brothers one day and tend the sheep. His brothers were tired and envied his favorite child status and the fact that David could interpret dreams, and they decided they wanted to kill him. One of the brothers convinced them to throw him in a ditch instead. Then they see a band of traveling slave traders and decide they might as well make some money, so they sold Joseph to the slave traders.
Joseph is bought by Potiphar, the pharaoh's superintendent of prisons. Potiphar's wife Henet is strongly attracted to Joseph and tries to seduce him. When he refuses, she falsely accuses him of attempting to rape her, and Joseph is imprisoned. Joseph is imprisoned with the Pharaoh's butler and baker, who have fallen out of favor. Dreams have plagued the two, which Joseph interprets correctly. When the Pharaoh has a dream he cannot decipher, his newly reinstated butler suggests he consult Joseph. Joseph interprets the dream to mean that Egypt will enjoy seven years of prosperity, followed by seven years of famine. Joseph suggests setting aside grain from the seven prosperous years in preparation for the famine. Pharaoh accepts the suggestion and appoints Joseph to take charge of the task.
Over the next several years, Joseph's power continued to grow. He marries a woman named Asenath and fends off an attack from the King of Syria. When the famine began, Egypt stored enough grain for itself and some to sell to neighboring nations. When Joseph's family back in Canaan travels to Egypt to buy grain, his brothers fail to recognize him, and Joseph shrewdly uses this to his advantage. He holds his brother Simeon (son of Jacob) hostage and orders the others to bring Jacob and Benjamin. Joseph reveals his identity and forgives his brothers.
That is pretty much the story in a nutshell. If you want to read the whole story, you can find it in Genesis 37-50. Do you see what I mean about having some tough things go on in his life? He was trying to do the right thing by not sleeping with Potiphar’s wife. He liked Potiphar. He treated him well. He also knew God wouldn’t like it. And yet He was thrown in jail for 13 years. Can you imagine being in jail for 13 years for something you didn’t do? Maybe you can. Do you feel like you are paying back time for something you didn’t do in your life? I used to feel that way when my boys were super hard. I used to think it wasn’t fair because I was a reasonably easy kid when I was younger, so why was I having such difficult kids?
Jacob had every reason to be bitter. He had every reason to be angry and resentful, yet he wasn’t. Jacob had been away from his family for 22 years before his brothers showed up on his doorstep looking to buy grain. Twenty-two years is a long time to go without seeing your family. Twenty-two years is enough to sit with resentment and anger and let it stew. However, this is not what Joseph did. Joseph used his position and his power to help his family. He not only gave them grain for free, but he also gave them a place to come and live.
Joseph’s brothers feared him as they knew what they did was terrible. Yet, David wasn’t angry with them. He forgave them and said the verse above, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” This is incredible. Joseph forgave them and realized that the people of Egypt might not have been saved if he hadn’t been there to interpret Pharoh’s dream. He understands that although his brothers wanted to ruin his life, they wanted him dead. God wanted to use him and his situation for good.
Do you know that God wants to do this in your life too? Do you know God can do this in your life too? I know it feels like you have been in this hard situation for a long time. I know it might even feel as though God has abandoned you. I assure you, he hasn’t! He is there with you in whatever it is you are going through. God did not abandon Joseph; He used him for incredible things. Joseph was in that jail cell so he could interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh’s butler so that the butler could then recommend Joseph to the Pharaoh so that Joseph could save the nation.
I wonder if our suffering would be easier if we knew the result. For instance, would it have been easier for Joseph to sit in jail day after day if he knew after 13 years, he would be the second most important person in Egypt? It would have made it easier to parent my boys when they were younger if I had known that the Lord would work all that for our good. I know that life was much less stressful once I truly learned to accept this. Once I surrendered to the fact that God is in control and can take all the crappy things in our lives and use them for good, I relaxed and let a lot of stuff wash right over me.
When my son was in rehab, I wasn’t worried, and I was able to be there for him because I knew God could work even for his good. I don’t know how he is working that for his good, but I know he has a fantastic future and will be brighter because he has that in his past. Actually, I do know at least one way God used that experience for his good. My son used to think we were the worst parents, like most teens. However, in rehab, he was with people who don’t have parents or have parents but not ones who visit. He was with kids who used drugs with their parents. He was with kids who lived on the streets. Being in rehab gave him a greater appreciation for all that he has.
I am sorry that life is so hard right now. I am sorry you have been in this rough situation for a long time with no end in sight. I am so sorry that you feel alone and maybe even abandoned. I want you to hear me when I say God is there with you. Turn to Him. Ask him for the strength to keep walking forward until things turn around. Ask Him to give you a glimpse into the good that is to come. Ask Him to fill you with love and hope for a future full of amazing things. I love you, and I know God does too! Keep moving forward one small step at a time, and remember, God can use all things for your good.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are incredible, and we are so grateful! We ask you, Lord, to help us to keep walking forward when all seems lost. Help us stay in the fight long enough to see how you will use all this for our good. Fill us with strength, hope, and peace during tough times. Lord, I know some things people are going through are really hard and have been going on for a long time. Please comfort them in a special way today. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I want to remind you all that I have the details for my new group coaching program on my website. You can find that by going to walkboldlywithjesus.com. It will be live coaching on Tuesday nights at 8 PM EST on Zoom. I will teach on a topic, and then we will have small group sharing time. The cost is $30 a month. I will also send out recordings if you miss the coaching session. I will also have a members-only Facebook group where we can all be a part of a community of people all striving for holiness. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!