God’s Grace is Bigger
Today’s Verse:
Genesis 50:20 ESV
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
Lent calls us to reflect on sin, suffering, and the mercy of God. In Genesis, Joseph stands before the very brothers who sold him into slavery. They’re afraid—rightly so. But instead of vengeance, Joseph offers grace.
"You meant evil against me," he says, naming their sin. But he doesn’t stay there. He goes on: "But God meant it for good." Joseph sees that God was at work even in betrayal, bringing life out of brokenness.
This is the heart of the Gospel. In Christ, God does not ignore our sin. He meets it with mercy. On the cross, what the world meant for evil, God used for our salvation.
Forgiveness isn't easy. But it's not about forgetting or pretending nothing happened. It’s about trusting that God’s grace is bigger than the worst things people do to us—and the worst things we do to others.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord, in this season of Lent, help me name what is broken in me and others. Teach me to forgive, not by my strength, but through the cross of Christ. Let your mercy shape my heart. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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