Day 5: Good and perfect purpose
From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field (Genesis 39:5).
Our Father, faithful God, great is Your love toward us and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever (Psalm 117:2). Even when we do not understand Your plan, we can trust that it is good, for You are good and Your steadfast love never ceases (Lamentations 3:22- ESV).
Sovereign, Omnipotent God, You are the God who was, who is, and who is to come (Revelation 1:8). Nothing in creation is hidden from Your sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before You (Hebrew 4:13). You know all things, see all things, ordain all things.
But we, Lord, are limited by time and experience. For us, perspective and clarity often come later, as they did for Joseph, when he told his brothers, You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive (Genesis 50:20 - NKJV).
Joseph was finally able to grasp purpose in place of the injustice that had once pervaded his view of his ordeal in Egypt: I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon” (Genesis 40:15).
And yet, in Joseph's life as in ours, it is not only in the outcome—in the final good—that You are present. For in the midst of difficulty and hardship, injury and pain You bless us, You show us Your favor, and You make us channels of blessing even to the agents and gatekeepers of constraints and injustice:
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did (Genesis 39:20-23)
O Father, teach us to trust you as we go through trials of many kinds (James 1:2). As we wrestle with betrayal, unfairness, exclusion, abandonment, or other circumstances that are thrust on us, give us the joy of knowing that You are with us and that you will bless others through us. Remind us that the lessons of perseverance will produce in us a wisdom and maturity like Joseph's, and that they will accomplish Your good and perfect purpose.
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