Through The Bible in a Year - February 19, 2026

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” – Genesis 50:20

Joseph went from pit to palace—thrown into a pit by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused and imprisoned, then elevated to second-in-command of Egypt. Dead again and again, then alive again. A kind of resurrection.

But resurrection without redemption isn’t enough.

Even in the palace, Joseph was separated from his family. He remembered the betrayal. He knew it was evil. The man who had new life still had baggage—hurt, pain, memories of abuse from those he loved. Even with resurrection, there was pain within.

I am reminded that even when we have new life externally, it’s not made right if things aren’t right internally. If our hearts are still struggling, new life is not enough.

We don’t just need a do-over. We need a makeover. We don’t just need to know we can get back on top—we need to know things can be made right with the people and problems of our past. We need resurrection and redemption.

Regret and guilt and shame—are not all made right by resurrection alone. Think of when Tiger Woods surprisingly won the Masters late in his career – it was hailed as a resurrection, but it happened after an epic fall from grace with his family that still haunted him. He said, “My regret will last a lifetime.” New life, but a heart still in pain.

The message of Joseph’s life isn’t just that we can rise after a fall, but that God can heal our hearts, too. The new life that God provides links redemption to resurrection, providing new hope and purpose with new life.

Respond: What “pit to palace” story are you living? Where have you experienced new life, but your heart still isn’t right? What baggage from the past still weighs you down? Today, cry out for more than resurrection—ask God for redemption, redeeming what is past with assurance that his pardon makes you whole and his plan will provide new purpose for your future.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I don’t just need new life—I need things made right. I need my heart healed, assurance that you will not only erase the shame of my past but will use all things to redeem the future. Give me more than a do-over; by your grace, grant me a makeover that makes me an instrument of your loving purposes. Link resurrection to redemption in my life by making me right for you. In Your name, amen.