GENESIS 45:4-8: “Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt. And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Is God really working all things together in my life for good? Sometimes life seems to take a downward swing. What we want to happen is not what we experience. In the midst of it all there stands the promise of God’s Word.

• “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 CSB

Now, can I be completely honest? Sometimes I find this promise hard to believe. It is especially hard to believe when you are trying to follow the Lord with all of your heart and all you seem to face is one wrong turn after another. There is no better example of this than the life of Joseph.

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers. Sold as a slave to Egypt. Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. Thrown into prison. Forgotten by the Cup Bearer he assisted in prison. And during all of these left turns and setbacks, Joseph was faithful to the Lord. These things did not happen in his life because Joseph was sinning. These things happened in his life while Joseph was being faithful to the Lord – wherever he found himself.

It was Joseph’s faith that enabled him to persevere. Were there disappointments and setbacks? More than usual. Yet, wherever Joseph found himself, he proved to be faithful to the Lord. It was this faithfulness that was finally rewarded as he became the second in command in all of Egypt under Pharaoh.

When Joseph was reunited with his brothers, when he revealed to them who he was, they were overtaken with fear. Joseph, now a powerful leader in Egypt, had every power and every right to get even with his brothers for selling him into slavery. However, Joseph’s continuing faith in the Lord enabled him to see God’s hand at work in the final outcome. As his brothers stood before him in fear, Joseph said,

• “And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.”

Joseph understood the sovereignty of God. When we are surrendered to the will of God in our lives He promises to work all things for good. This does not mean that all things that happen in life are good. Yet, we serve a God who is good. When we place our life in His hands, like a master potter, He molds even the discarded things in life into His purposes. This is what Joseph could say,

• “Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

What his brothers had intended for evil, God redeemed for good. Betrayal, false accusation, abandonment, prison, none of these could keep God’s good purposes from being fulfilled in Joseph’s life.

Over the years as a pastor I have tried to remind myself, and those who God placed in my care, that life is not a straight line. It is filled with twists and turn, setbacks and disappointments, as well as wonderful victories and celebrations. Yet, for God’s people, the trajectory is always forward. We are always growing, always changing, always moving from glory to glory!

• “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 CSB

The life of Joseph reminds us that even when everything looks bleak, when we cannot see the road that lies ahead, the Lord is moving us forward. We are moving in His divine pathway for our unique lives. Our path is not like anyone else’s. It is God’s unique purposes, being fulfilled through the Holy Spirit, in our unique lives. The good news is that the story is not over yet. God is still writing the wonderful story of our lives.

Yet, one thing is sure, the ending will always be good!

• “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 CSB

Lord, this morning, forgive me for the times I question Your faithfulness in my life. Help me, like Joseph, to see Your hand at work in every aspect of my life. You are working all things in my life for good, and for Your good purpose!

In Jesus Name!