For Our Greater Good

For Our Greater Good

Micca Campbell

The Old Testament patriarch Joseph would have made a great talk show guest. I imagine the title of the program might have been something like From the Pit to the Palace.

Joseph deserved to be loved and nurtured by his parents. So did Joseph’s brothers. But in the eyes of their father, Jacob, the brothers were second best to Joseph. Their father’s rejection caused terrible sibling rivalry. Things got so bad that Joseph’s brothers eventually threw him into a pit as a prelude to killing him.

While his brothers were eating supper and discussing how best to dispatch him, a caravan of Midianite traders en route to Egypt passed their camp. Seizing the opportunity, the brothers sold Joseph as a slave for twenty pieces of silver. In current monetary value, that’s about $$128.

Have you been rejected and thrown into the pit? Don’t fear. God has not abandoned you. He knows your whereabouts. He is using your circumstance as a stepping-stone for a greater plan, just as He did for Joseph.

Seventeen years later, both the brothers and Joseph had experienced radical reversals. Joseph had risen to a position of power in Egypt and his brothers were rendered powerless by a life-threatening drought. When Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain, Joseph could have seized the opportunity to take revenge. Instead, he forgave his brothers and reunited with his family.

As his brothers bowed before Joseph in fear for their lives, he said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20 ESV). This verse is often paired with the familiar words of the apostle Paul: “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” (Romans 8:28).

When you and I let go of old hurts and trust God for the greater good, we find healing and restoration just as Joseph did. When we choose instead to cling to the pain, we get stuck in the pit and our wounds fester. God has so much more for us.

What was meant for evil, God wants to use for your good. The Lord wants to bring you out of the pit and place you in His palace. The choice is yours. Focus on bad experiences and miss out on joy; or, take the risk and forgive those who hurt you. God has a greater good in His plans for your future.

Dear Lord, Your promises sustain me and provide hope and peace while I’m in a pit. Help me trust in Your promises until You bring me out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

REMEMBER

What was meant for evil, God wants to use for your good.

REFLECT

Recall a benefit or two that you have reaped by allowing God to heal your hurts and bring restoration in a Joseph-like situation.

RESPOND

Practice shifting your perspective by reflecting on any evidence you can find that affirms God’s grace and goodness in your life. Use a piece of paper or your journal to identify six to eight things you can affirm as God sustaining you and caring for you as He works for your greater good.

POWER VERSES

Psalm 18:30; Psalm 145:17