“A Divine Setup”

By Dianne Prince

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20, ESV).

Obedience to God will sometimes land you in an uncomfortable situation. In the backdrop of our scripture today, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He ended up a slave in Potiphar’s house. Because of Joseph’s obedience to God, Potiphar make him the head of all the servants and all his affairs. And many of you know this story. Mrs. Potiphar ran after Joseph–day in and day out. However, because Joseph was a man or integrity and a man who feared God, he avoided her at all costs. Because Joseph did not yield to her advances, he was falsely accused of raping her, and he ended up in prison. Although it appeared that was the end of Joseph’s life, prison, as uncomfortable as it was, was just the beginning of his story.

Because Joseph lived right and he trusted God, God was using the negative events in Joseph’s life to set him up to become second in command in Egypt. God was putting Joseph in place to be in charge of the distribution of food during a drought that had not even happened yet. God’s ultimate plan for Joseph was to position Joseph to preserve the nation of Israel who was not in Egypt yet. It took years for God’s plan to come to pass for Joseph’s life. While God was working thing out, Joseph endured the hardship of prison life. He waited patiently. And He obeyed God every day.

And this is your reminder for today: God planned every moment of your life, and that plan includes ups and downs. Every uncomfortable thing that happens to you is connected to God’s plan for your future.  Think about it. It was while in prison that Joseph was contact with Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer. When the cupbearer was released, Pharoah had a dream that he wanted someone to interpret. It was the cupbearer who told Pharaoh about Joseph’s gift to interpret dreams. It was Pharaoh who had Joseph released from prison and it was Pharaoh who elevated Joseph to be second in command of Egypt. It was because of Joseph’s position as second in command that he was re-connected to his father and his brothers and saved them, and their families from destruction.

God has a purpose for every adverse situation you go through. God has a plan to mix up all the good and the bad things that happen to you and over time, work them out for your good and according to His purpose for your life.

Today, if you are in the midst of an adverse situation—it could be a family issue, a relationship issue, an issue at work or even an issue where you worship. Whatever the issue is, do not try and manipulate circumstances to work things out in your favor. Realize that whatever is going on is part of a bigger plan God has for your life. Therefore, keep obeying God every day. Keep treating people with the utmost respect. And keep trusting that God is setting you up to achieve a greater purpose–a purpose yet to be revealed. Rest assured; it will all make sense afterwhile.