No more Bethesda for you. No more waking up and going to sleep in the same mess. God dismantled the neutral gear from your transmission. He is the God of forward motion, the God of tomorrow. He is ready to write a new chapter in your biography.

make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that" (Gal. 6: 4 MSG).

And it is when we are out of options that we are most ready for God's surprises.

but he reserved his breath, or a soul, for you.

9In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born," says the LORD.

The path to the palace wasn't quick; it wasn't painless, but wouldn't you say that God took this mess and made it into something good? And wouldn't you think he can do the same with yours? Tally up the pain of your past. Betrayals plus anger plus tragedies. Poorly parented? Wrongly accused? Inappropriately touched? Oh, how onerous life can be.

In God's hands intended evil becomes eventual good. That's the message of Genesis 50:20 and the heart of Joseph's story.

By giving us stories like Joseph's, God allows us to study his plans.

Look back over your life. What have you consistently done well? What have you loved to do? Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.

No problem is unsolvable. No life is irredeemable. No one's fate is sealed. No one is unloved or unlovable.

It is only when we let go of life as we know it that we discover true life—the glorious plan laid out by God.

And God, the Master Builder. This is the meaning behind Joseph's words God meant it for good in order to bring about... The Hebrew word translated here as bring about is a construction term