Have you ever been wronged by someone?
If so, you can probably relate to the story of Joseph.
As I wrote in last week’s devotion, Joseph’s jealous brothers plotted his murder, threw him in an empty well and then sold him into slavery. Because of them, Joseph experienced many losses and injustices in his life. He missed out on precious years with his aging father, for example. He missed seeing his little brother grow up. He was unfairly robbed of his position as son and was forced into the position of slave in a foreign country.
But Joseph’s story is more than just relatable because of its losses. It’s also inspirational—because the wrongs Joseph experienced did not have the final say in his heart or mind.
Though he suffered greatly over many years, we meet a whole and healthy Joseph at the end of the story. As he reunites with his brothers, Joseph is free of grudges and vendettas. He has moved on with life, having made the most of his reality, instead of fixating on what could (and should) have been.
The healing and freedom that is evident in Joseph ought to make us curious. How can we respond similarly when we are wronged? How can we find such freedom from grudges over the past?
Genesis 50 gives us insight. After Joseph and his brothers reunited and buried their elderly father, the brothers got nervous. Since their father was no longer around to stand in the gap for them, they thought, “It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully pay us back for all the evil which we did to him” (V15) and so, they approached him with a desperate plea for forgiveness, even offering to become his servants. But look at what Joseph says in response: “Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive, as is happening today.’” (Genesis 50:19-20)
Joseph’s words reveal two truths that I believe helped him move beyond the wrongs done to him. And these same truths can bring us freedom and healing when we are wronged, today.
Truth #1: God is the just Judge.
In verse 19, Joseph said, “Don’t be afraid, for am I in the place of God?”
With those few words Joseph reminded his brothers (and perhaps himself) that, while the judge’s seat was not his, it was not empty. God was in the Judge’s seat.
Romans 12:19 tells us, “Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
Our God is the just Judge. No wrong done—on the public stage or in the shadows of daily life—will escape His notice. He sees it all and He will put everything right one day. Wrongdoers will be held responsible. And that is both a freeing and a sobering thought.
It’s freeing because it means we don’t have to make anyone pay for what they’ve done to us. It’s not our job to exact justice or teach them a lesson. We don’t even need to hang around to see natural consequences play out. We can move on, entrusting them and their outcomes to a just God.
But this is also sobering because, apart from Jesus, the ultimate outcome for those people will be grim. You see, a person’s sin may be directed at us, but all sin is sin against God—and the punishment for that is eternal separation from Him. That is the kind of justice all of us, as sinners, deserve. But if we really understood it, we wouldn’t wish it on our worst enemies.
So, as much as we may pray for our wrongdoers to face justice, may we also pray for them to find mercy—the same mercy we ourselves received in Christ.
Because Joseph knew that God was the just Judge, he didn’t need to repay his brothers in kind. He didn’t need to make them servants just because they had made him one, all those years ago. Instead, by recognizing that God was in the Judge’s seat, he was freed up to move forward with his life—and to even seek their good.
The same can be true for us. Because God is the same just Judge, today, we don’t have to hold onto grudges or take matters into our own hands. God can be trusted to set things right. And we can be truly free—free to move forward in life, free to think about brighter things than the wrongs done us, free even to seek our wrongdoers ultimate good (their salvation) in prayer.
Trusting that God is the just Judge liberates us from a past that wants to keep us trapped in hurt.
Truth #2: God is the kind King.
In verse 20, Joseph went on to say, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive, as is happening today.’”
With these now-famous words, Joseph teaches us an important truth. For every plan that man makes, God has a higher and kinder plan—and His plan always wins.
- Joseph’s brothers intended to demean their decorated brother by selling him into slavery. But God used their actions to raise Joseph even higher in power and prestige.
- Joseph’s brothers intended to prevent his God-given dreams from coming true. But their cruelty only ended up making that dream a reality.
- Joseph’s brothers wanted to harm, if not kill, Joseph. But God overruled and saved not only Joseph’s life, but their lives, too, through it all.
Joseph’s brothers made their evil plans. But God made their plans serve His good plans.
This means that, while the wrongs we experience in life are absolutely cause for deep and honest grief, they are never cause for hopelessness. Even in the face of injustice, God is on the throne—ruling and overruling—and we can trust Him to be kind. He can take even the harshest evil and use it for great good.
So, how will you let these truths shift your focus from what people have done to what God is doing?
Trusting that God is our kind King frees us up to embrace our lives as they are today—and find good in them, despite the hurts. Much may have been taken from us. Much may have been done to us. But God is with us, repurposing it all for good. That means there is beauty to be found, even in a life scarred by others.
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The healing and freedom evident in Joseph’s life came about because he trusted and experienced God as both the just Judge (who would right all wrongs) and the kind King (who would sovereignly ensure the success of His good plans).
May these same attributes of God grow our trust and our freedom, today.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my three year reading plan: “The Whole Counsel of Scripture.” To receive a copy of the first year’s reading plan (and future reading plans when they become available), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2026 Paige K. Burhans. All rights reserved.
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition which is a Public Domain translation.
