THE BIG REVEAL

By: Pastor Flávio Macieira - 2025 | Day 6 of "THE FAITHFUL DREAMER" series

Have you ever seen the back of a large, intricate tapestry? It's a chaotic mess of loose threads, knots, and mismatched colors. If you only looked at the back, you’d never believe that anything beautiful or orderly could come from such a jumble. So often, this is exactly how we see our own lives. We see the knots of betrayal, the loose threads of injustice, the dark colors of pain and grief, and we ask, "Where is the art in this? Where is the meaning?"

We live most of our lives looking at the back of the tapestry. We feel every knot, every pull, every thread that seems out of place. It's only in rare, precious moments that God, in His grace, allows us a peek at the other side. These are the moments of revelation, where the chaos begins to make sense, and the pain reveals its purpose. Joseph spent decades staring at the back of the tapestry—the pit, the slavery, the false accusation, the prison. But then, God gave him the chance to see it from the front.

The most powerful moment of this reveal doesn't happen when he becomes governor, but years later, after his father's death. His brothers, terrified for their lives, come begging for mercy. Joseph's response is the climax of his entire journey:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

This is one of the most profound statements of faith in the entire Bible. Notice Joseph's raw honesty. He doesn't downplay his brothers' sin: "You intended to harm me." He doesn't pretend the betrayal didn't hurt. He doesn't offer cheap grace that ignores the reality of the wound. He looks evil in the face and calls it what it is. How many of us have the courage to do that—to admit the depth of our hurt without drowning in bitterness?

But the genius of Joseph's faith is in the second half of that sentence: "...but God intended it all for good." He sees a sovereign hand at work behind his brothers' sinful hands. He sees a divine purpose that was bigger than his personal pain. God didn't cause their sin, but in His redemptive alchemy, He took the raw material of their evil and transformed it into an instrument of salvation. Their intent was the destruction of a brother; God's purpose was the preservation of a nation and, ultimately, the lineage through which the Messiah would come.

This perspective changes everything. It frees us from the tyranny of asking, "Why did this happen to me?" and invites us to ask, "God, what are You doing through this?" It teaches us that even when we can’t see it, the Divine Weaver is working on the right side of our story, interlacing every thread—even the darkest, ugliest ones—into a masterpiece of grace and redemption that we will one day see in full.

How about we take a practical step toward seeing our own lives this way?

Think of a painful situation in your life, past or present. The natural tendency is to focus on the "harm intended against me." Today, take out a journal, and instead of asking "Why?", write this question: "Lord, even though I don't understand, help me trust that You can turn this into something good. Show me a glimpse of the right side of the tapestry." Use this exercise not to demand answers, but to shift the posture of your heart from rebellion to reliance.

To let this truth sink even deeper into your soul, reflect on these questions:

• Does Joseph's statement ("God intended it for good") comfort you or challenge you? Why?

• In what area of your life do you feel stuck on the "back of the tapestry," seeing only knots and loose threads?

• How can the certainty of God's greater purpose change the way you pray about your hurts and frustrations today?

Now, in a spirit of surrender, let's bring these thoughts to the Divine Weaver.

Sovereign God, I confess that most of the time, I can only see the back of my story: the chaos, the pain, the injustice. Forgive my lack of faith. I ask that You would give me Joseph's perspective, the grace to see Your sovereign hand at work even through the most painful acts. Teach me to trust the Artist even when I can't understand the art. Turn what was meant for evil against me into good, for Your glory and for the saving of many lives. In the name of Jesus, the Redeemer. Amen.

Your greatest pain can be the birthplace of your greatest purpose.

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