Nevertheless...

The life of Joseph, found in Genesis 37-50, is an amazing read full of adventure, betrayal, loss, suffering, and finally, forgiveness and redemption.

I’m zeroing in on a single verse in Genesis from Joseph’s story. It is one of my favorite Scripture verses, and you likely know it.

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.”

But God.

But God is a powerful interjection anywhere we find it in Scripture. Here, Joseph has (spoiler) chosen to forgive his brothers after the very evil thing they did to him. How could he forgive? When we understand the great weight of our sin and how much we have been forgiven, this knowledge helps us, in turn, forgive. Joseph did not sugarcoat his brothers' deception, lies, and hatred toward him. He called it what it was: evil. But God. How thankful are we for those words? But God did not leave Joseph there. He had wonderful plans for him, and God used the evil doings of his brothers to place Joseph in a position of power and authority, that he might provide food for many people during a region-wide famine. How amazing!

We serve a mighty, powerful God. He reigns as the perfect judge, and yet we find these amazing verses showcasing God’s abundant mercy towards us. What is your takeaway from this verse?

Photo: Hami Durgut on Pexels