November 26, 2025
Joseph – Faith That Carries You Through
Devotions from the Life of a Dreamer with Character
29. God Turns Evil Into Good
How God can make even the worst part of His good plan
Daily Bible Verse
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”
Genesis 50:20
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Introduction
There are things in life we would never have chosen.
Losses that take our breath away.
Decisions made by others that wound us.
Pain we did not deserve.
We see what people do—
and we ask:
“Why does God allow this?”
Joseph had many reasons to ask exactly that.
His brothers didn’t act out of a misunderstanding—they wanted to get rid of him.
And yet, years later, Joseph looks back and does not say:
“I broke because of you.”
But instead:
“You intended evil — but God made it good.”
That one phrase — but God — changes the entire story.
It is the turning point of every darkest chapter.
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Devotion
Joseph was still a young man when his entire life changed in a single day. His father had sent him to his brothers, as he had done many times before. For Joseph it was an ordinary task. Nothing suggested that he would see his home for the last time that day.
But his brothers were filled with jealousy and anger. They had never understood his dreams and believed Joseph wanted to rise above them. When they saw him from afar, they decided to act. At first they planned to kill him. Eventually, they chose to sell him to traders. For them the matter was settled. For Joseph, a completely new chapter began.
He was taken to Egypt and sold there as a slave. Even though he was completely innocent, he had to find his way in a foreign land. He was brought into the house of Potiphar, a respected official. There he worked faithfully and reliably, and everything he did succeeded. But even that positive development did not last long. Potiphar’s wife accused him of something he had not done. Joseph could not defend himself. He was arrested and thrown into prison.
Prison could have been the place where Joseph broke inside. But it was precisely there that God began to shape his character. Joseph took responsibility. He cared for other prisoners. He held on to his integrity—not because he hoped it would free him, but because it aligned with his convictions. Even when Pharaoh’s cupbearer promised to mention him and then completely forgot, Joseph remained patient.
Years passed. Then Pharaoh had a dream no one could interpret. Suddenly the cupbearer remembered Joseph. Joseph was brought out. He stood before the most powerful man in the land and explained the dream—calmly, clearly, and with wisdom. Pharaoh was so impressed that he made Joseph the second most powerful man in Egypt.
In this position Joseph led the land through a severe famine. Not only the Egyptians were saved, but also people from surrounding regions. Among them were Joseph’s brothers. They came to Egypt to buy grain, unaware that the man before them was their own brother.
Joseph recognized them immediately. With their appearance, all the past returned: the betrayal, the pit, the sale into slavery. But instead of letting these memories define him, Joseph saw something else. He saw how every step—even the painful ones—had brought him to exactly where he now stood. He saw that God had used it all so that lives could be saved.
When he revealed his identity to his brothers, they were terrified. They expected revenge. But Joseph said something that revealed how deeply his perspective had changed:
“You intended to do me harm. But God made it good.”
He did not mean that what happened was right. But he recognized that God is able to bring good even out of evil intentions. His brothers had sold him—but God had used that very act to place him in a position from which he could save their family.
In the end, Joseph did not place the focus on his brothers, but on God.
Not their actions defined his life, but God’s intervention.
Not human guilt wrote the story—but God’s plan.
This understanding gave Joseph the freedom to make peace instead of seeking revenge. It gave him the courage to look forward. And it gave him the confidence that his life was not directed by people, but by God, who knows and guides every chapter.
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Thoughts for Your Heart
• People have power, but God has the final word.
• No chapter of your story is lost when God is writing with you.
• God does not transform every evil immediately—but He never loses control.
• Your past does not define you—God’s plan does.
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What We Can Learn from Joseph
• You can name what was done to you honestly—without staying stuck in it.
• You can forgive because God’s sovereignty is greater than human injustice.
• God uses even dark paths to bring you to places you were meant to be.
• What is planned against you, God can turn into something that brings life to others.
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Practical Steps
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Write down what you perceive as “evil” in your life—raw and honest.
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Bring it before God and say: “Lord, I know what people did. Show me what You can do.”
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Ask God for His perspective, not just answers.
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Practice saying: “God is greater than what was done to me.”
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Ask God: “How can my story serve others?”
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Questions for Reflection
• Which events in my life have I evaluated only from a human perspective?
• Where do I still feel “victimized” by others?
• Where do I need the words “but God” in my story today?
• Who could be blessed by my experience?
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Prayer
Lord,
you know the paths that have wounded me.
You know the people who have hurt me,
the decisions that affected me,
and the chapters I would have never chosen.
I bring You my pain,
my questions,
my uncertainty.
Teach me to see, like Joseph,
that You are greater than what people plan.
Show me where You were at work even in the darkness.
Take bitterness from my heart
and give me Your peace.
Give me the courage to say:
“People meant evil — but God turned it into good.”
And use my story
to bring hope to others.
Amen.
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Key Thought of the Day
Evil has power — but God has the final word.
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Blessing to Close
The Lord who led Joseph through betrayal, loss, and imprisonment
bless you with the same hope.
May He give you eyes to recognize His hand
even when the path is dark.
May He strengthen your heart
so you can say: “But God…”
And may He turn your wounds into springs of life—
for you and for many.
Amen.
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