I have come to appreciate Joseph, the Old Testament patriarch, all over again. Over the past couple of months it has been my privilege to hang out with Joseph, as I've prepared and shared several messages about his remarkable life.
One the traits of Joseph's life that I find remarkable is his acknowledgement of God's sovereignty. At the end of his story there are some clear statements about God's ways.
In Genesis 45:5-7 Joseph says that it was God Who sent him to Egypt. Remarkable because Joseph was talking to the very people who had seized and sold him into slavery--the means by which he came to Egypt.
Later he said, " . . .am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. . . ." (Genesis 50:19-20)
Psalm 105 gives some further information about Joseph's treatment. "Joseph . . . was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;" (17-18)
For thirteen years of his life Joseph was either a slave or a prisoner, yet as he looked back he could see God's hand in what had happened. God was/is bigger than the petty jealousy and cruelty of his brothers, the conniving ways of a wicked woman, and the forgetfulness of a fellow-prisoner who could have helped prisoner number J-O-S-E-P-H.
I know God is certainly bigger than the petty offenses that come into my life. I'm praying for the grace to acknowledge that even though others might mean it for evil, God in His sovereignty not only intends it for good, but actually brings good to reality.
Lord, make me like Joseph. Amen.
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