Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Genesis chapter 37, verse 36.

Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

I read this verse because it is not the verse you would expect when you start reading this chapter.

This whole chapter starts with a picture of Jacob and his children, specifically Joseph, 17 years old, the pride of his father.

And you see Joseph talking with his brothers about dreams he's having about him ruling over them.

Now, for obvious reasons that didn't sit too well with his brothers, but it eventually led them to sell Joseph into slavery.

At first they were talking about killing him, but then they decided to sell him into slavery and by the end of this chapter, this boy with this bright colored coat has been sold into slavery in Egypt.

To Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

As I'm reading this, there's so much we could talk about here, but especially as we think about praying over recent days in Genesis through the realities of sin and evil in the world and the effects of sin and evil in the world.

To see the effects of that sin and evil in a family here and specifically in Joseph, Joseph has just been sold into slavery by his own family after they were thinking about murdering him.

Like what a picture of sin and evil and the effects of it and Joseph is experiencing those effects. Just imagine what is going through his mind right now is his whole life has just fallen apart and he's been sold by his brothers into slavery like so many things going through his mind.

And in this story, the stage is now set for God to show how even amidst sin and evil in this world, God is still working over and above at all, God is still working in ways that will ultimately lead.

To good. This is one of the mysteries of divine providence of God's providence in the world, how he can be and is sovereign over evil deeds, not directly responsible in any way for evil deeds. God is holy and perfect and everything he does is right and good.

And yet there is so much in this world that is ultimately under his sovereign authority that is evil and bad as a result of sin in men and women as a result of evil in you and me.

And yet God doesn't let evil and sin have the last words I'm jumping ahead now in the story don't jump ahead too far. I want us just to consider it as we pray today to consider how when things feel like they are falling apart in our lives, we can still know that God is ultimately in control.

And as we trust in him, he will ultimately show himself to be the just God of the universe and the faithful God of all who trust in him.

So God, we pray for that kind of faith in these kinds of moments and Joseph kinds of moments when we are hurt when we have experienced evil done to us when our life is falling apart as a result of evil done to us.

God, we lift our eyes and look to you and we trust that you are just that you will bring justice ultimately in this world that your judgment will be the last word and that you are merciful that all who look to you and trust you will see your mercy in the end will know your love.

And not just in the end, but that you are faithful to give mercy in the moment. God is we're going to see in Genesis chapter 39 and Joseph's life how you were with Joseph in the middle of prison how you were with Joseph in the middle of slavery how you never left him alone in this world of evil and sin and suffering God repraise you for that reality in our lives.

And so while we don't understand everything God, we do trust and know that you are ultimately sovereign and we're so glad that you are ultimately in control that injustice evil sinners are not ultimately in control that you are ultimately in control and that what you say in your word is true when Romans 828 that you are working all things together for the good of those who love you and have been called according to your purpose.

So we look to you we trust in you and we pray that you would bring about your good purposes bring them about swiftly we pray and God I'd be remiss if reading this text we didn't just pause also an intercede for people who've been sold into slavery in different ways I think about boys and girls in those Himalayan mountains or on in coastlands of Southeast Asia who have been sweet.

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