You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.
Genesis 50:20
It’s interesting that what is said about the role of God’s Spirit in the very first chapter of Genesis is said in a different way at the very end of the book. It opens with a statement that God’s Spirit moves (hovers) over the chaos of the yet unshaped earth in order to draw out of it the order and purpose he intends (Gen. 1:1–2). The book then concludes by affirming that whatever evil is intended toward God’s people is somehow transformed into their good.
This amazing statement is made at the very end of the Joseph Story, where he sees that in his long struggle with personal injustice and abuse, not only is he raised to the highest position in a foreign land (Prime Minister of Egypt), but through it the entire Hebrew people are preserved from destruction.
So, in a way, this is the blueprint of history. It encapsulates the way God intended to act throughout time, to enter into evil that is intended for us by others (any evil of any kind), and to reshape and redirect it toward his good for us. He has been engaged in this work ever since. Malice, evil, slander, fraud, deceit, betrayal, and everything of the sort has become the raw material in his hands to build our lives and shape our faith — to form the image of his Son in us.
The same point is made centuries later by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28. Now Paul was no stranger to evil and trouble. He gives merely an “interim report” in his second letter to the Corinthian church (2 Cor. 11:21–29). This catalog of injustice and tribulation was just what happened in the first part of his ministry; if he had given us the complete list just prior to his death it would have been far longer!
Because of (not in spite of) all his troubles his faith grew stronger and stronger. In each set of circumstances he was able to see not only God’s hand of deliverance, but also the good that ultimately came of each.
But all of this is not just for the people of biblical times. What was written in the Great Book was written for every person who has ever trusted God (Rom. 15:4). For us, right now, today, who are facing any form of evil, trouble, or injustice, either in society or in our personal lives, this word of encouragement and hope is for each of us.
So never bail out in despair! Never stop praying, and allow God to take the proper time to bring things around. And don’t ever forget: there exists absolutely no bad news that we can ever hear in this life that can’t be turned into the good news of God’s grace and his best for us.
