There are chapters of our lives that simply do not make sense while we are living them. Joseph certainly had some.

The pit did not make sense. Being sold into slavery did not make sense. The false accusation did not make sense. Prison did not make sense. Being forgotten by the butler did not make sense.

But by Genesis 50, Joseph could look back and see something he could not have seen from the bottom of the pit: God had been at work through it all.

After their father died, Joseph’s brothers became afraid. They wondered if Joseph had only been treating them kindly for Jacob’s sake. Perhaps now he would finally take revenge. Instead, Joseph gave them one of the greatest statements of faith in Scripture:

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20).

Notice that Joseph did not say what happened to him was good. It wasn’t. His brothers really did intend evil. Joseph really was betrayed. He really was falsely accused. He really did spend years suffering because of the actions of others.

But evil never had the final word. God did.

That may be the greatest lesson from Joseph’s entire life. God was there when Joseph received the dreams. God was there in the pit. God was there in Potiphar’s house. God was there in the prison. God was there when Pharaoh called. God was there during the years of plenty and the years of famine.

And God was there when Joseph finally looked back and realized that the pieces of his story had been part of something much larger than he could have imagined.

Maybe you have some pieces in your own story that still do not make sense. You may not understand why God allowed a disappointment, a closed door, a betrayal, a season of waiting, or a painful change you never wanted.

Joseph reminds us that we do not have to understand everything God is doing in order to trust Him. Sometimes we are standing in Genesis 37 asking, “Why?” while God already sees Genesis 50.

As we finish this journey through Joseph’s life, perhaps that is the truth we need to carry with us: When we cannot see God’s plan, we can still trust God’s hand.

The pit was not the end of Joseph’s story. And whatever chapter you are walking through today, remember this: God is still writing yours.

Photo credit – AXP Photography at Pexels