Encouragement for Today

May 19, 2025 Seeing Past the Snapshots ERIN DAVIS Lee en español

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

One of the things we’ve lost to the digital age is family photo albums. Sure, you can scroll through pictures on your phone, but it’s not the same as holding an actual photo album in your lap, turning the pages with your mom or grandma, and listening as she narrates the snapshots of your life.

The problem with photos is they only capture a moment in time. They don’t tell the whole story.

The book of Genesis contains the epic biopic of Joseph — a shepherd turned slave turned nation saver. The story of Joseph and his family is a rare example of a happy ending. Still, when we race to the good stuff in his story — or attempt to do the same in our own stories — we miss the truth that throbs through the whole Bible: God is always at work.

That’s the song that Joseph’s life sang from the pit …

“So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit” (Genesis 37:23-24a, ESV).

Joseph’s brothers had let the cells of sibling rivalry and comparison metastasize into bona fide hate. After throwing him into a pit, they sold him into slavery for a quick buck and watched him shuffle in chains into an uncertain future.

We can’t sugarcoat this moment. What happened in Joseph’s family is ugly. Ah, but this is just a snapshot. The story of Joseph continues to teach us that what God is doing now is not all that He is doing.

There are moments within your family when the sugarcoating won’t stick either. You may be reeling from betrayal, doing your best not to lick old wounds, wondering what to do with your deep disappointment, or struggling to see the good in the suffering your family has endured.

When the ones meant to love and cherish us instead abandon and crush, we all face the temptation to doubt the goodness and faithfulness of God.

God is not a lock to be picked, a code to be cracked, or a riddle to be solved. He’s far too big for that! This means we cannot always understand the ways He is at work in our families. But He is always at work.

Years later, Joseph declared before his brothers:

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

Sometimes God works in decades, not days. Perhaps it’s because God not only works for our good; He also works in us. What a remarkable work He did in the hearts of Joseph’s family! What a remarkable work He is doing in you and in your family.

Today, ask for the faith to see beyond the snapshot.

Lord, thank You that You are doing a generational work in my family. Teach me to trust You with each snapshot. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Find fresh hope that God is at work in your family with Erin Davis’ latest Bible study, The Story of Joseph: How God Can Redeem Imperfect Families.

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Get glimpses of Erin’s rowdy family on Instagram @TheDeepWellWithErinDavis. Hear her teach on The Deep Well podcast.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (ESV).

What is one snapshot of your family right now that’s painful? What might it look like for God to redeem it?

Is there anything in your family life that you’ve given up hope that God can redeem? Commit to pray about that specifically for the next several days.

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.

© 2025 by Erin Davis. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks Moody Publishers for their sponsorship of today’s devotion.

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