When God Positions You for His Glory - Treasures of Faith - Week 7 Day 4

TODAY'S TREASURE

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  

Genesis 50:20

Transcript

When God Positions You for His Glory

Chuck and Sharon Betters

Today’s Treasure

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  

Genesis 50:20

Joseph’s rise to power was not the climax of his story. His reunion with his brothers and this stunning statement in Genesis 50:20, is the moment where his long journey of faith comes into full bloom. Joseph doesn’t just extend forgiveness. He declares his understanding of God’s sovereign hand over every chapter of his life.

“You meant evil…but God meant it for good.” These words are among the most powerful in all of Scripture in that God’s providence not only permits evil but redeems it. What man intends for harm, God bends for His redemptive purposes. This doesn’t make the evil good, but it assures us evil never gets the last word.

Think of the decades that stand behind this moment: betrayal, slavery, false accusation, prison, and a forgotten promise. Any one of those hardships could have embittered Joseph. But instead, they shaped him into a man who saw all of life through the lens of God’s sovereign goodness.

His words echo the truth of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” This is not cheap comfort, it is costly faith. Joseph names the betrayal for what it is - evil. But he also names the God who overruled it for glory.

It’s important to note Joseph’s statement comes after years of tested forgiveness. Earlier, in Genesis 45:7, he tells his brothers: “God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” He does not minimize their sin, but he refuses to let their evil define his life or dictate his future. That kind of perspective is only possible for someone rooted in the unchanging character of God.

Joseph had come to see that the pain of his past had positioned him perfectly to be used by God. As Pharaoh’s second-in-command, he saved an entire region from famine, including the very brothers who sold him. If God had removed any part of the journey, Joseph might not have been in place to save them. God’s purposes were not delayed by evil, they were fulfilled through it.

This is the power of providence. It doesn’t mean we will understand everything. But it gives us confidence that everything is under God’s sovereign hand. The Westminster Larger Catechism reminds us that “God’s works of providence are His most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures, and all their actions.” (WLC Q&A 18) Nothing falls outside the reach of that providence, not even betrayal.

In Joseph’s story, we also see a beautiful picture of gospel grace. He doesn’t use his power to crush those who hurt him. Instead, he uses it to bless and preserve them. This foreshadows the greater Joseph, Jesus Christ, who, though betrayed and crucified, rose to save the very ones who condemned Him. Jesus could have rightly said to His accusers, “You meant it for evil, but My Father meant it for good—to save many lives.”

When you walk through betrayal or injustice, Joseph’s story gives you permission to grieve the real pain. But it also calls you to lift your eyes higher, to the God who never wastes suffering. He may be positioning you to bless others in ways you never imagined.

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

Are you living in the shadow of someone else’s sin? Have you experienced deep hurt or betrayal? The gospel does not ask you to pretend the pain didn’t happen. Like Joseph, you can name the evil, but also declare that it does not have ultimate power.

Ask God to give you Joseph’s eyes to see your circumstances not as random cruelty but as tools in the hands of a loving, sovereign Father. You may not yet see the “good” God is working, but He is always writing a bigger story than what you can see.

Let God use your wounds to become windows into His grace. He never wastes pain.

PRAYER

Father, You are the God who turns ashes into beauty and mourning into joy. Thank You for Joseph’s faith that saw beyond evil to Your hand of purpose. Help me to trust You with the hardest chapters of my story. Give me grace to forgive and strength to believe that You are working all things for Your glory and my good. 

MORE…

Adapted from Treasures of Faith by Chuck and Sharon Betters with permission from P&R Publishing

Treasures of Faith for $4.00 each! And the Leader’s Guide for $2.00. Supplies are limited.  ORDER LINK - https://www.prpbooks.com/search?query=treasures+of+faith&records=10

You can also hear Chuck’s Treasures of Faith sermon series on the Help & Hope app, your favorite podcast platform or the MARKINC website.

PS – If you remember reading or studying Treasures of Faith, I wouldn’t mind you leaving a rating or review on Amazon! We were unable to determine why, but the reviews on our Amazon book page were removed and can not be restored.