Reading Plan: Genesis 50

Author: Blake Houston

Meant for Good

And here we are, at the end of our journey with Joseph.

It’s fitting that we end with one of the most influential and powerful verses of Scripture. It’s a word that rings true through the pages of the Old Testament and into the very heart of the Gospel story. It’s also one that I highly encourage you to memorize:

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20

Aren’t you glad the word “oops” isn’t in God’s vocabulary? God is sovereign, which simply means He’s always in control. He doesn’t make mistakes. He does what He wants when He wants with whom He wants in any way He wants.

Now, that could be a little frightening. Is God some puppet master who is contorting the strings of our life, allowing pain to come in? Is God like the kid with the magnifying glass, lighting up the ants with an intensified sunbeam?

The answer to those questions is a resounding NO.

We must remember that while God is sovereign, He is also good. The things that He allows into our lives are for our benefit and for the benefit of others.

Joseph understood this. And we can’t read the story of Joseph without thinking of Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

ALL things work together–not just the “good things.” Joseph summed this up in verse 20. He knew that God had fulfilled his dream through his hardships, not just in spite of them.

As we go through life, we start to realize that some of the things we thought were good may end up being bad, and some of the things we thought were bad may end up being good (I’m looking at you, cardio). And then, sometimes good things are just good things and bad things are just bad things.

God helps us sort it all out. And with the passing of time, we begin to look at things a bit differently. Of course, there are things God allows in our lives that don’t make sense. But when we look from God’s perspective, through the dream He has placed inside of us, we begin to see that ultimately, all things will work together for good.

We may not see it on this side of eternity, but until then, I’m willing to live with that dream in my heart.

Reflection & Response:

• Think about your own story. How have both the bad and the good been used by God to bring about His purpose in your life?
• Reach out to a friend who loves Jesus and get an objective opinion on your life, both the good and bad. Do they see ways that God is moving in your circumstances better than you do? Ask them to help you see Romans 8:28.
• Prayer: Father, thank you. You waste nothing in my life. You make all things, both the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, and say that You are working them together for my good. Help me to see that even in my darkest days, You are with me, You are for me, and You will never forsake me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
• Love Your Neighbor is coming up April 3rd-9th which means you’ll have an opportunity to serve and invest in your community which is full of people experiencing hopelessness and hardship in their lives. Pray that God would move in your community, especially in the lives of those who need a personal, saving relationship with God. Also, ask God to show you how you can be a part of His plans and purposes during this spring 2022’s Love Your Neighbor initiative. Visit the LYN website to view ways you can get involved and sign up for Love Your Neighbor projects.