Genesis 50:15-21 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 50:15-21 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?" Verse 16So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this instruction before he died, Verse 17'Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Verse 18Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, "We are here as your slaves." Verse 19But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Verse 20Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. Verse 21So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
Devotion
Much of life is a matter of perspective. Do you see the end of an era or the beginning of something new? Do you look out at a field of dandelions and see hundreds of weeds or hundreds of wishes waiting to be made? Joseph has plenty of evil to be angry about, and yet he reaches a point when he can look back and say to his brothers, "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good."
A glass half full outlook can't erase evil, but an opportunity to step back and imagine God's intention and power for new life can bring renewed focus and perspective. God's redemptive work in the world throughout all of history reminds us that goodness is stronger than evil. We all have something hard going on in our lives. How might God be working through your situation with good intentions?
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes today to new possibilities. Help me to imagine how you are at work doing good in the world around me. Amen.