But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people.  Genesis 50:19-20

Many of us have read as children about Joseph and his coat of many colors. Dolly Parton sang a song about it. But I hope that if you have never taken the time to read the entire story of Joseph that you will do so. It’s found in Genesis chapters 37-50. In the new testament in Romans 8:28 we are told that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Many, many years before Paul wrote this to the Romans, Joseph lived a life that proved this very verse.

Joseph’s story begins when he is 17. His brothers are jealous of him and rightfully so. Joseph’s dad had him late in years and Joseph was a son of Rebecca the wife that his father loved the most. Because Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him, they devised a plan to get rid of him. While some wanted to kill him, it was decided that they would just sell him into slavery. They would make a few bucks, they would be rid of him and they would tell their father that Joseph had been attacked by a wild animal and had died.

Now your own brothers sell you into slavery. It doesn’t get much worse than that, right? But remember Joseph loved the Lord and was called according to God’s purpose. So even though he was sold into slavery, he was given charge of Potiphar’s house. While in charge of Potiphar’s house, he was falsely accused of assaulting Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. More disaster? Not quite, you see Joseph found favor with the warden and was put in charge of the prison. Later Joseph was able to interpret a dream for the king and was placed as second in command in all of Egypt. He was able to save his family and countless others from the great famine.

God had a plan for Joseph. This plan had Joseph sold into slavery, but he was always given positions of honor. God always took good care of him even in trying times. Reading through the Old Testament, we see that while God punished entire nations for disobedience, he took good care of those who loved and honored him.

God has a plan for you too. But in order for him to fulfill that plan you must love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. In order for Him to work all things out for your good, you must be called according to His purpose. In other words, you must be willing to accept the plan that God has for your life. This means that you trust in Him even when it seems impossible, remembering that nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). This means that you rely on Him and not on yourself (Proverbs 3:5-6). This means that you give it all over to Him and submit to Him.

Joseph trusted in God’s plan for him. Even when things seemed rocky, Joseph trusted in the Lord. He surrendered to God and God’s plan for his life. God blessed Joseph greatly by not only bringing him out of slavery, but by placing him in second in command in all of Egypt. This enabled Joseph to bring his family to Egypt and save them from the famine.

Now Joseph could have allowed his brothers to starve to death for what they did to him, but instead he helped them and saved them. He didn’t hold bitterness in his heart, but he reached out his hand to help them. He forgave them and did not hold this against them because he knew that this was all in God’s plan for him. He knew that God had a purpose and a plan for his life and that this had helped to fulfill that purpose and that plan. He knew that what his brothers intended for evil, God had worked for his good.

If Joseph had not been sold into slavery, he would have never wound up in Egypt in Potiphar’s house. If Potiphar’s wife had not falsely accused him, he would never have wound up in prison. If he had not wound up in prison, he would never have been in a position to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream about the famine and would not have been placed in a position to save many, many lives.

If you are in a tough spot right now, remember that your job is to love the Lord and trust in Him. He will take care of everything else if you will only trust Him to do so. He wants the best for you and He will give it to you if you will only trust and obey Him. Know that He works all things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Have a great day!