December 9, 2025
Daily Devotional:
“The Turn-Around”
Genesis 50:20
"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."
This verse is spoken by Joseph to his brothers, years after they had sold him into slavery out of jealousy. His life was a whirlwind of injustice as a favorite son, a slave, a prisoner. Yet, in a stunning reversal orchestrated by DivineProvidence, he became the Prime Minister of Egypt and the only person positioned to save his own family and countless others from a devastating famine.
Joseph is not minimizing their sin. He is acknowledging the painful truth of their actions. But then, he pivots to the glorious truth of God's sovereignty. Joseph understood a profound spiritual truth: human malice and misfortune are never outside the reach of God's redemptive plan. The evil his brothers intended was not the final word. God took their wickedness, the years of pain, and the seeming dead ends, and wove them into a tapestry of salvation. Their plot to destroy a brother became God's plan to save a family and a nation.
We all face situations, whether big or small that feel like they were "meant for evil." It could be a betrayal, a financial setback, a health crisis, or a simple disappointment. When you feel the sting of injustice or the crushing weight of bad luck, remember Joseph's perspective. It doesn't mean thepain wasn't real, but it means the pain is not pointless. God is a Master Weaver who takes the black threads of human sin and suffering and integrates them into a beautiful, purposeful design that you may not see completely yet.
Can you identify one negative event in your past that, in hindsight, God used to shape you into a better, stronger, or more compassionate person? Look for an opportunity today to show grace or mercy to someone, remembering that God's grace to you came through a path of suffering.
In the event of a difficult situation you are enduring. Instead of focusing solely on the "you meant evil" with the injustice, and the pain, try to shift your focus to the "God meant it for good." Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the potential good, the lesson, the strengthening, or the future blessing that God is working through this present trial.