“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
Joseph’s brothers had wronged him. They had stripped him of his one prized possession—a coat his father had given him—and sold him into Egypt as a slave. He had spent years and years in a foreign land, away from his family. When he met up with his brothers again after many years, he was second in command over all Egypt. He was in a position to take revenge if he wanted to, and it might seem to us that he had a right to be angry and to get back at them for what they had done.
But Joseph did not take revenge on his brothers. Joseph understood two important things about God. First, Joseph knew that revenge is something we should leave up to God, not something we should take for ourselves. Joseph also understood that God has higher purposes in the wrongs others do to us. God’s higher purposes are always good. Joseph saw that God had used his brothers’ sin against him to bring him to Egypt, where he had a special plan to carry out. Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt put him in a position to save his entire family from dying in a famine. God had brought something good out of evil.
Has anyone wronged you? Purpose (“decide”) in your heart that you will have a correct view of God in the situation. Leave revenge up to Him, and have faith that God’s purpose is to bring about something good—even if you don’t see the good right away. God can see infinitely farther than we can. We need faith in Him and love for Him to have a farsighted vision of His ways. He is planning to bring good out of evil—either in this life or in eternity. We can be sure of that.
We can be confident that God will bring good out of evil.
My response:
» If someone has wronged me, have I told God about my hurt and anger and left them with Him?
» Have I left revenge to God?
» Do I believe God will in some way bring good out of a bad situation?