Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Genesis 50:24
Joseph's jealous brothers sold their young brother into slavery. Despite this evil deed Joseph was, in time, led by the Lord to become prime minister of mighty Egypt. When his brothers came to Egypt to buy food for their families, Joseph revealed his identity to them and forgave them. "You intended to harm me," he said to them, "but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).
Our God has laid out His plans. He foresees the schemes of evil men and plans around them turning evil into good. Peter proclaimed on Pentecost that Jesus, crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men, was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. But God raised Him up, "freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him" (Acts 2:24).
Knowing this, we can be certain that our Lord is turning apparent evil into good also in our lives. We can fully trust that God is in control -- of the world and of our lives.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have a plan for our lives. Help us to trust You and follow Your guidance in the unfolding of this plan. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Kings 14-15 Acts 12
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