God's Intentions

God's Intentions

Most everyone has heard the Bible story of Joseph and the amazing colorful coat he received from his father as a gift.  All of Joseph's brothers knew that daddy loved Joseph best.  This made for a pretty unhappy bunch of brothers.  On top of this Joseph has and relays a couple dreams that indicate Joseph's family is going to bow down and worship him.  This adds fuel to the already blazing inferno of jealousy.  So, the brothers plot to kill Joseph.  Long story short - Joseph gets thrown in a pit, gets sold into slavery, is purchased by a wealthy Egyptian Pharaoh who gives Joseph charge over his household, he was wrongly accused by the Egyptians wife, thrown in jail, then put in charge of all the prisoners, released from jail to interpret the Egyptian's dreams, then put in charge of the Egyptian's palace and all the people were to submit to Josephs orders, he was second in power only to the Egyptian Pharaoh and was now in charge of the whole land.

All the while this was happening to Joseph, the good, the bad and the ugly, the Bible says "the Lord was with Joseph."  At the end of the story, Joseph clearly acknowledges that even though all this bad stuff happened to him it was God's intent for it to work out for the good of the people of the land, for Joseph and for Joseph's family. And Joseph was totally okay with it all even as it was happening.  What faith!!  What trust!!

From this story, we can have reassurance of several things:
                            1. God is in charge
                            2. God has a plan
                            3. God's intentions are for good

When things happen in our lives that just don't seem to make sense, it causes us to wonder whose plan is really being worked - God's or man's.  If it seems like it is a man made plan - then you can still look at these three reassurances and know that God is still in charge, that His plans will prevail and override any that a man has made, and that God will work it out and turn it into good - one way or another.

Even after all Joseph went through from the plans of men ( i.e. his brothers, the slave traders, the Egyptian's wife, even the Egyptian Pharaoh) God was in it all, He had a plan and His intentions were for good.   I think we have to have faith, trust and believe that if God did this for Joseph, He will do it for us - one way or another.

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."  Genesis 50:20

"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purposes will prevail."  Proverbs 19:21

"And we know that 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