But don't be upset, and don't be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here to preserve your lives. - Genesis 45:5 (NLT)
When evil happens to us it can feel like God has abandoned us or is trying to make a mockery of us, but this couldn't be further from the case. Nobody in the Old Testament had more of a right to hold a grudge than Joseph. His brothers were jealous of him, threw him in a well, sold him into a slavery, and then lied to their father and told him Joseph had been eaten by a wild animal. Yet, when the opportunity came for Joseph to exact his revenge, he decided to show mercy. Not only that, he said it was God who was really behind it all and that his brothers shouldn't be upset with themselves.
Nothing that happens in our lives is outside of God's control, not even the wicked and unjust things. We may not see the purpose in them in our lives right away or it may even take several years before we finally realize why God allowed such a thing to happen to us, but when we see the answer, we certainly won't be able to hold a grudge against those who hurt us. Instead, we will be in awe of the God who brought about something wonderful through something so dark.
If Joseph wasn't sold into slavery, he wouldn't have been able to interpret Pharaoh's dream and give Pharaoh the godly wisdom needed to save his nation from famine, and instead, he, his father, brothers, entire family, and thousands of others would have died of starvation. If it had not been for false accusations, jealousy, and an illegal trial, Jesus would've never been put on the cross to die for our sins and been the source of our salvation.
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. - Genesis 50:20 (NLT)
If something evil or unjust has happened to you, it's not easy to accept or endure it, but in enough time you can rest in the fact that God will bring something amazing from it.
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