God Intends for Good

When Joseph encounters his brothers years after they sold him into slavery, rather than condemning them, he tells them that everything they intended for evil, God intended for good. He tells them that what they did to him was actually the work of God.

Do we see struggle and conflict in our lives in the same way? Are we looking at the things in our lives as things that God is doing, or are we hoping He figures out how to use them for good after they happen? The impressive thing about Joseph's perspective is that he saw God as an active participant in his life. God didn't take what happened to Joseph and react, turning it into something good after the fact. Instead, God was involved in the process all along, and He always intended it for good.

Joseph's perspective is so much wider than our perspective tends to be. We see what is happening in our immediate vicinity and are unable to see how God might be working good through our trials. We cannot see farther down the road, where God will use us to accomplish His plans. We need to be more like Joseph, trying to see the bigger picture of our lives and of God's plans for us. We need to be open to the things that God is doing for our good, even when we don't feel good.

God is good, even when we can't see it. His plans for us are good, even when we don't understand them. He intends for us to do good things, even when we don't know what those things are.

Are you embracing a wider perspective today?

Today's Verses
Genesis 50: 20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.