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God improbably brought good to Joseph out of a string of tragic events culminating in seven years of famine. His experiences taught him to trust a God who overrules people's evil intentions to bring about the good results he plans. In this case, God was forming from the descendents of Joseph and his incorrigible brothers a nation, known by the name an angel wrestler assigned to their father Jacob: Israel.

Genesis 45:3-8; 50:15-20

1. Joseph's back-stabbing brothers sold him into slavery. How (Genesis 39:1-6a) did God bring good out of this bad situation?
   
   
2. How (39:19-23) did God bring good from Potiphar's wife's false accusation and Joseph's imprisonment?
   
   
3. How (41:8-14, 37-43) did God dramatically turn around the cup-bearers ungrateful neglect of Joseph?
   
   
4. Who (45:4-8) did Joseph see as the real shaper of events behind his brothers' evil intentions?
   
   
5. What realization (50:19-21) allowed Joseph to fully forgive his brothers?
   
   
6. Do you believe you could trust God enough to wait patiently for him to bring good out of a bad situation?
   
   

Thank God for his amazing ability to transform apparent tragedy into ultimate good.

Genesis 45:3-8; 50:15-20

3 "I am Joseph!" he said to his brothers. "Is my father still alive?" But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. 4 "Please, come closer," he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, "I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. 5 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 ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Prayer for the Week

When I face serious setbacks or prolonged waiting, arm me with full confidence, Lord, that you are with me.

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