Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 105:23-29
Ps 105:23-29
23 Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. 24 The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes, 25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants. 26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darkness and made the land dark--for had they not rebelled against his words? 29 He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.
Rom 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
How would you feel about being sold by your own brothers as a slave? What good is there in being falsely accused of assaulting the wife of your owner and being put in prison to be forgotten? We think we have problems in our lives, but they probably don’t even come close to what Joseph faced in his late teens and early twenties. But God blessed him because of his faith; blessed him as a slave and then as a prisoner. Then God used all of this to exalt Joseph so that he was ruler over all of Egypt, with only Pharaoh over him. God’s plan was working.
Generations later there was a Pharaoh who did not know about Joseph or how he had spared Egypt from starvation or why the Hebrews were living in his land. He was afraid of them so he made them all slaves to Egypt. He was wicked and ordered their baby boys to be killed so they would not multiply so rapidly. But because they feared God, they refused. As a huge family of people, they could not have been in a worse situation. They were hated, feared, abused and mistreated.
God used all of this for his purpose and to later make a point to the Hebrews that because they had been slaves and mistreated, they were to treat others (even their own slaves) with dignity and respect. God used the wickedness of the king and his rebellion to show his power and mighty hand of deliverance. God still uses bad people to carry out his will. He still uses our bad situations for our good and to teach us valuable lessons. When we trust him, he takes care of us.
Heavenly Father what a blessing to be your child and to know that you will always take care of me and use everything for my ultimate good. Increase my love for you and my trust in you, even when I cannot see your working or know your plan for my life. I thank you for my physical family and the love we share. Thank you for your spiritual family and the love we share. Even when we have never met one another, you give us opportunities to encourage each other. Give me a heart to use all the blessing in my life to your glory. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
