God’s Sovereign Control

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

In these words, Joseph sums up the intervening years since his brothers had planned and carried out treacherous schemes with only one goal: to ruin him. But Joseph sees the story from another vantage point. He has lived out the promise that God never relinquishes control, no matter how the situation might look to us.

For God’s perspective on the situation, look at Psalm 105. What is God’s will for the Israelites? “I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession” (v. 11). But when the Israelites first reached Canaan, they were “few in number, a tiny group of strangers” (vv.12-13). God needed to give them a place to grow, prosper, learn skills, and reproduce safely. He needed to put them under the protection of a larger, more advanced civilization for a time. He needed them in Egypt.

“He sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—Joseph, who was sold as a slave” (v.17). It looked as if Joseph’s evil brothers had sent him to Egypt, as if God’s will were being thwarted by bad decisions. God used seemingly adverse circumstances to position Joseph for receiving the promise.

How did God get the Israelites out of Canaan and into Egypt? “He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, cutting off its food supply” (105:16). He brought famine on the land, but first he prepared the Israelites’ deliverance. It was waiting for them in Egypt. What appeared to be a disaster and a tragedy drove them to God’s provision.

God’s promise to us is that he is always calling the shots. As Jesus stood before Pilate, seemingly at the mercy of those who had staged his arrest, he said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above” (John 19:11). No matter how it looks at the moment, you are safely in God’s hands, and he is working out his plan for you.

Father, I embrace my present moment, knowing that you are in control.

If there is a single event in all of the universe that can occur outside of God’s sovereign control then we cannot trust Him.

Jerry Bridges(1929–), American author and conference speaker