“I Will Provide For You”

Realizing 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?” So they approached Joseph saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘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. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even 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. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Genesis 50:15-21

When the unthinkable happens, it may seem impossible to believe that anything can overcome the emotional scars that define many of us. Yet, the life of Joseph offers a powerful illustration of God’s transforming power. The brothers who sold him into slavery were sure he would take revenge on them, but he did not.

When we place our desire for revenge in God’s hands, we become participants in a remarkable process of overcoming evil with good.

The defining moments of our lives are not determined by the evil done to us, but by our response through the grace and power of God.

Let danger drive you to Jesus.

Our Daily Bread – April 16, 2008