You can only allow the past to affect you for so long. For years, the Israelite Joseph lived among the Egyptians as a result of being sold into slavery by his brothers. He was despised and rejected, thrown in jail and eventually rose to a valued position within the empire. What his brothers meant for harm, God meant for good (check out Genesis 45 below and some key passages regarding the events that took place as a result of Joseph’s slavery).
- v.4 - Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”
- v.5 - “It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
- v. 7 - “God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
- v. 8 - “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
The providence of God is amazing, isn’t it? In Genesis 45, we see a beautiful picture of a truly righteous man not allowing the sins of the past catch up with his brothers. What they meant for harm, God meant for good. It was God’s will for all this to happen. Why? So God could provide in a truly miraculous way, in only a way He could.
So today, if you have a grudge against someone else, look to Genesis 45. Look at how Joseph responded. Is it possible that what someone else meant as harm, God is turning it around for good? It’s amazing to see this, as for the next five years, Joseph and his brothers would walk hand in hand through the rest of the famine. Truly, this is the way of God.
