What Else Can This Mean?

Genesis 50: 20

And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

This is what Joseph said to his brothers, the other sons of Jacob, who God renamed Israel. They had wanted to kill him, but instead they sold him into slavery, thinking that they'd never see him again.

But God was with Joseph, and caused him to rise in Pharaoh's Egypt. 

Joseph "re-framed" how his brothers treated him. He faced that they meant to do evil to him, but he considered God's purpose as much higher than his brothers'. 

We also need to "re-frame" the bad things that happen to us; the insults, the betrayals, the losses, our own failures. Our Father always fits whatever happens into His good plan for each of us, and for all of us. 

Whenever we find ourselves in a negative frame of mind, we need to think, "what else can this mean?" We don't need to understand all the details of how God will use even the worst that happens to us for our good; we only need to trust Him. He knows more than we do, He sees the whole picture and causes all things to promote His timeline, to bring His Kingdom to this Earth. 

He is the One Who is wise, and clever enough to bring good out of bad. He never calls "bad" "good," He just arranges it all to come out right in the end. We can trust Him to do that.

Joseph's brothers carried the guilt of what they did to him all those years, and when they found themselves in front of him, they were afraid of him, thinking that he would be like them. But Joseph had forgiven them a long time ago, and was glad to have his family around him again. 

When someone is mean to us, or insults us, or cuts us off on the highway; we need to remember that, "hurt people will hurt people." Everyone is living his/her own story, and will sometimes take out their frustrations on someone else. We're all susceptible to this. 

O my Father, please help me to always remember how much You love me and want good for me. Help me to remember to pray for whoever would mistreat me in any way, that You would comfort and heal their hurts, and draw them to Yourself. Keep my attention off of myself and my own little hurts, knowing that You have comforted and healed me. 

Show me how to re-frame every negative memory that is dredged up in my mind. Replace the anger and pain with Your own Presence, as the Great Physician Who loves me more than I am able to imagine. 

And may You receive all the glory for planning it all out, for our good and Your honor. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!