God Intended It All For Good

God Intended It All for Good

“God intended it all for good.” Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, imprisoned by Potiphar, and forgotten by Pharaoh’s cup-bearer. They were each responsible for evil done to Joseph. Yet Joseph clearly saw God behind the suffering inflicted by his brothers when he said to them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).

Joseph’s recognition of God’s invisible hand working behind the scenes to accomplish something good out of his suffering provides a picture of God’s sovereignty in the Crucifixion, using the most significant evil and suffering of all time to accomplish the greatest good of all time. Perhaps this is the only way we can make sense of Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus: “It was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief” (53:10).

When we look at the Cross of Christ, we see the most innocent victim, the most immense suffering, the greatest injustice, the most hurtful betrayal, the greatest physical and emotional agony. Surely the Cross was the greatest evil of all time. Yet it was also the most precious gift God has ever given, the greatest good ever accomplished. Because of the Cross, we don’t get what we deserve—punishment for our sin. Instead, we get what we don’t deserve—the mercy and forgiveness of God.

Paul spoke of God’s plan for Jesus’ suffering, which he intended for good since before the world began. “I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. . . . His plan . . . was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began” (1 Corinthians 2:2, 7). Paul also assured us that God will also use our suffering for our good. “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

If God can use something as evil as the Cross of Christ for such amazing good, we can begin to believe that he can and will use what we might label as evil in our lives for our ultimate good.

Almighty God, I will keep believing that Romans 8:28 is really true—that you can and will use everything, no matter how dark, for my ultimate good, because I am yours.