JOSEPH (Final part)

Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

As we have seen in the previous parts, the course of Joseph's life took some unexpected turns that made it seem like he would never escape his status as a slave or a prisoner.

 But God had other plans. And they were beginning to become visible in Joseph's life.

 While in prison, Joseph displayed leadership skills that caused him to be put in charge of the entire prison population.

 And his ability to interpret dreams eventually led him to Pharaoh's palace, where he was tasked with interpreting dreams that Pharaoh was troubled by.

 Joseph's interpretation of these dreams, and his recommendations to Pharaoh, caused him to find favour, and he was made 2nd in command in Egypt, overseer of the entire country.

 Because of God's plans for Joseph, he had suddenly gone from a prisoner to the second most powerful man in Egypt.

 Joseph's path to this lofty position was a difficult one. He endured much hardship along the way. And these hardships could have led him to doubt God or be angry with Him.

 But Joseph kept his heart right, honouring God in all he did. And because of this, he saved millions of lives when famine struck the land. And his life of so many difficulties became a life of royalty and luxury.

All these events are streamed into the above biblical verse. Now that Jacob (Israel) was dead, the brothers feared revenge from Joseph. Could he really have forgiven them for selling him into slavery? But to their surprise, Joseph not only forgave them but reassured them, offering to take care for them and their families, Joseph's forgiveness was complete. He demonstrated how God graciously accepts us even thought we don't deserve it. Because God forgives us even when we have ignored or rejected Him, we should graciously forgive others.

God brought good from the brothers' evil deed, Potiphar's wife's , false accusation, the cupbearer's neglect, and seven years of famine. The experiences in Joseph's life taught him that God brings good from evil for those who trust Him.

Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for Him to bring good out of bad situation? You can trust Him because, as Joseph learned, God overrule people's evil intentions to bring about His intended results.

 How about your life, or my life?

 Do we face difficult seasons, times of hardship or distress?

 And when we do, how do we handle them?

 Do we become angry with God and question Him as to why we must suffer such things?

 Or do we step back, take a breath, and ask God how He wants us to handle this, and what steps does He want us to take?

 It is unlikely that any of us will ever face difficulties like what Joseph faced. And it is even more unlikely that our difficulties will thrust us into positions of power or royalty.

 But we can say with certainty that our trials can teach us much, and they will prepare us for greater things.

 The big question is, what will we do with them?