Come, Follow Me Moms
March 16–22
Genesis 42–50
“God Meant It Unto Good”
Hey mamas, welcome back to another week of Come, Follow Me Moms. I am Cassie, your scripture study companion, and I am so glad you are here.
This week we are studying Genesis 42–50, and we are finishing the first book of the Bible. And man, it is a good one.
As we finish Genesis this week, we are also finishing the story of Joseph. And honestly, this might be one of the most powerful stories in all of scripture.
Joseph’s life had betrayal, prison, false accusations, family drama, famine, forgiveness, and redemption.
And at the end of it all, Joseph says one of the most hopeful lines in the entire Bible:
“Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
Genesis 50:20
That is the theme for this week.
Sometimes life feels like it is falling apart, but God is working a bigger story.
But God.
Before we dive in, let’s do a quick recap from last week so we are all fresh on what is going on.
Joseph was Jacob’s son through Rachel, the wife he deeply loved. Rachel had Joseph, and later Benjamin. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, served in Potiphar’s house, was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker in prison, and then eventually interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and rose to power in Egypt.
Now we get to the part of the story where everything starts coming together.
Joseph Is a Type of Christ
When you look closely, Joseph’s life mirrors Jesus Christ in such powerful ways.
Joseph was beloved by his father. Christ was the Beloved Son of God.
Joseph was betrayed for silver by his brothers. Jesus was betrayed for silver by Judas.
Joseph suffered unjustly but later saved his people from famine. Jesus suffered for our sins and saves us from spiritual death.
Joseph preserved life. Jesus saves souls.
Joseph even tells his brothers:
“God sent me before you to preserve life.”
Genesis 45:5
Just like Christ came to save us, Joseph was sent ahead to preserve and rescue.
God Sends Deliverance Before the Trial
One thing that stood out so strongly to me in this story is that God sends deliverance before the crisis even arrives.
Joseph was sent to Egypt years before the famine came.
At the time, it looked like tragedy. He was thrown into a pit. Sold into slavery. Thrown into prison.
But years later we see the truth.
God was preparing the rescue before the famine even began.
Joseph was exactly where he needed to be, at exactly the right time, to save his family.
And sometimes God is doing the same thing in our lives.
What looks like hardship today may actually be preparation for something sacred tomorrow.
You may be in a season right now that makes no sense. It may feel unfair, painful, lonely, or confusing. But God may be placing things in order that you cannot see yet.
The Brothers Had Changed
One of the most beautiful parts of this story is seeing how Joseph’s brothers changed.
Years earlier, they had sold Joseph for money. But when Joseph tests them with Benjamin, something different happens.
Judah steps forward and basically says, take me instead. Let Benjamin go home to his father.
That is huge.
The man who once helped sell his brother now offers to sacrifice himself for another brother.
That is repentance.
That is growth.
That is a changed heart.
The gospel really does change people.
And I think that matters for us as moms because sometimes we look at people and think, they will never change. But God is in the business of softening hearts, reshaping souls, and making people new.
Forgiveness Brings Healing
Joseph had every reason to hold onto bitterness.
His brothers betrayed him. He lost years with his family. He suffered deeply because of what they did.
And yet Joseph forgives them.
Not just with words, but with action.
He feeds them.
He protects them.
He welcomes them.
He saves them.
Forgiveness does not erase the past, but it allows God to redeem the future.
Joseph understood something powerful.
Holding onto anger would not heal his family. Forgiveness would.
That does not mean what happened was okay. It means Joseph chose to let God write a better ending than bitterness ever could.
“But God”
If I had to summarize Joseph’s life in two words, it would be this:
But God.
They betrayed him, but God had a plan.
He was sold as a slave, but God raised him to power.
He was falsely accused, but God preserved him.
He was forgotten in prison, but God had not forgotten him.
And in the end Joseph says:
You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.
That is the hope of the gospel.
God can take broken pieces and turn them into redemption.
God Is a God of Abundance
Something else beautiful in this story is how Joseph cares for his family.
He tells them not to worry about their stuff. He tells them to come to Egypt. He tells them he will take care of them and that they will have the best of the land.
Joseph provides abundance.
And that reflects the heart of God.
Our God is not a God of scarcity. He is a God of provision, goodness, and abundance.
He is a God who makes room. A God who feeds. A God who provides. A God who restores.
The Reunion
After more than twenty years, Jacob finally sees Joseph again.
Jacob believed his son was dead.
And then suddenly he hears:
Joseph is alive.
Can you even imagine that moment?
The reunion.
The joy.
The tears.
The shock.
The gratitude.
Joseph’s entire suffering suddenly has meaning in a new way.
All of it led to this moment.
Saving his family.
What a reminder that God can bring things full circle in ways we never saw coming.
God Can Turn Our Hard Things Into Good
Joseph’s life reminds us that sometimes we do not understand what God is doing while we are in the middle of the trial.
Joseph could not see the ending when he was in the pit.
He could not see it in slavery.
He could not see it in prison.
But later he could look back and say:
God meant it for good.
That is faith.
Trusting that even when life hurts, God is still writing the story.
A Personal Thought
One thing I want to share before we close this episode is something personal.
As I studied Joseph’s story this week, it hit close to home for me.
I have had a season in my life where I felt betrayed and hurt by someone really close to me. Someone I loved and trusted deeply.
And if you have ever gone through something like that, you know how painful it can be.
It shakes you.
It breaks your heart a little.
It can change relationships forever.
I wish I could say my story ended exactly like Joseph’s, where everything was restored and everyone hugged and lived happily ever after.
But sometimes healing takes time.
And sometimes it takes both people.
And sometimes people are only meant to be in our lives for a season.
But here is what I realized as I studied Joseph this week.
Even though that season was painful, I can look back now and see where God showed up.
I came closer to Christ in that hard season than I ever had before.
I learned things about forgiveness. About boundaries. About healing. About who I am in Christ.
And because of that experience, I have now been able to help other people who are walking through similar pain.
And that is when it hit me.
But God.
Joseph’s brothers betrayed him, but God used it.
And I think many of us have “But God” moments in our own lives.
So to any mama listening who has lost a relationship, maybe a best friend, a close family member, a parent, a neighbor, a friendship that broke, or someone you cannot trust anymore, this story of Joseph is for you.
Because I have lived a small version of it.
And it is hard.
And sometimes it really does suck.
But if you look around, you can also begin to see where God has been working.
Look for Where God Showed Up
Let me give you a little illustration.
If I had a painting in front of you and I said, you have three seconds, look at this painting and memorize everything that is black, you would study every black detail.
Then if I took the painting away and asked you what was pink in the painting, you probably would not remember.
Because that is not what you were focusing on.
Life can be like that.
If we focus only on the hurt, the betrayal, the pain, and the disappointment, that is all we will see.
But when we start looking for where God showed up, where He carried us, where He strengthened us, where He comforted us, where He grew us, suddenly we see something different.
We see the good.
We see the healing.
We see the purpose.
Just like Joseph did when he said:
“You meant evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
Final Thought for Moms
Mama, maybe you have some pit moments in your life.
Moments where things feel unfair, painful, confusing, or heavy.
Joseph’s story reminds us that God is still working.
He can turn pain into purpose.
Trials into testimony.
Broken things into something good.
Just like Joseph said:
“You meant evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
Thank you so much for listening to this week’s episode of Come, Follow Me Moms. I hope this episode helped you feel closer to the scriptures, closer to Christ, and more hopeful in your own story.
If this episode blessed your life, would you share it with a friend, your sister, or someone in your Relief Society? That would mean so much to me, and it helps get this message into the hearts of more women who need it.
May God bless your family this week.
And may the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob be abundant in your life.
See you next week. Bye for now.