SCRIPTURE READING:
Genesis 50:20 ‘As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this – to preserve the lives of many people.’
In the Old Testament is a remarkable story about a man named Joseph. He was born into a great family and He was the favoured son. He enjoyed a special relationship with God and the Lord showed him dreams and visions about the future. But everything seemed to go horribly wrong. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, he was reported as dead to his father, he was falsely accused by his owner’s wife and he ended up forgotten in prison. Yet at every turn God intervened and turned the bad situation into something unique. In every situation things worked out in a remarkable way for Joseph. The end result was that God used all the evil and the bad things he faced to position him for success, power, influence and as a result used him to save the lives of many people. A story, which would appear to be a trail of disaster, became a road to a divine purpose and destiny. In the end God restored everything that had been lost and stolen and He even took the evil intentions of others to set Joseph up as an example to each of us.
JOSEPH FACED UNIMAGINABLE EVIL REPEATEDLY, BUT WAS ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK EVERY TIME.
In life we all face things that seem unfair, unjust and even evil in nature. It is easy to begin to think that someone, something, or everyone is against us and that things will never move in our favour. The enemy of our souls would like to see us destroyed and eliminated and he will use any means to accomplish this – even those close to us.
John 10:10a ‘The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.’
Joseph faced this to a great extent, but every time he was able to bounce back. His attitude and his willingness to serve kept opening doors for him. After being sold as a slave to Potiphar, he served in such a way that he became the head of his owner’s household. After being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife he was thrown into prison where he served the authorities and the other prisoners and became responsible for all the prisoners. After being forgotten about in prison, one of the prisoners that he had helped told Pharoah about him and he was taken from the prison to the throne in one day. Joseph had this amazing ability not to sink into despair and discouragement but to make the most of the situation and in each situation things turned in his favour and ultimately he was exactly where he needed to be when the right time came.
John 10:10b ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’
Our attitudes and willingness to make the best of a bad situation can turn things around for us, and with God’s help, it can set us up for His divine purposes.
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