“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

As believers, we’ve heard it said many times that God will turn bad things around to good—ALL things—for those who love Him.  We can love God in the good times rather easily with praises that ascend to the heavens to Him.  But when we are sick and weak, in prisons of doubt and despair, crying out for healing in a hospital bed or when seeking God’s help when a loved one betrays us, we wonder how long God will take to turn things around. How patient are we in the wait for the good to come from God? How deep and unconditional is our love for God?

What we do in the wait shows the depth of our belief and faith in the God we say we believe, love, trust, and obey. 

God was truly with Joseph and Joseph was with God. This is the continuing story of God coupled with the testimony of praise for what God did in the life of Joseph. Joseph, the rejected, younger brother who was abused then sold as a slave by his brothers, the same brothers who lied about him to their father, Jacob, saying he was dead, now makes himself known to them. 

But there is much more to the story than reconciled relationships within a family who God has called and chosen to lead His people in succeeding generations.  Read on…

Genesis 45

Joseph Makes Himself Known

45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

⁸ “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. ⁹ Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. ¹⁰ You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’

¹² “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

¹⁴ Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. ¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

¹⁶ When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, ¹⁸ and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’

¹⁹ “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. ²⁰ Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’”

²¹ So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. ²² To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. ²³ And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. ²⁴ Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”

²⁵ So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. ²⁷ But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. ²⁸ And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The man, Joseph suffered much but God was with him, “called according to God’s purposes; with a plan to prosper him”.  The life of Joseph is often compared to the life of Jesus Christ by theologians who enjoy diving deeper into the message from God to us.  However, the main point of the comparison between Joseph, a man whom God called and the Son of God, Jesus, whom God sent was forgiveness.  Both demonstrated the love of God with complete forgiveness offered freely without conditions. 

Joseph tested his brothers’ sincerity before he revealed himself to them. He realized that they were genuinely sorry for their sinful plot to get rid of him.  Joseph exemplified God’s forgiveness without holding on to the grudge of past pain. As we study the life of Joseph in detail, we watched how God worked forgiveness into his character as a result of his circumstances.   Because of forgiveness; A family is reconciled.  Those connected to Joseph see what is happening with awe and wonder.  Pharoah, a non-believer is impressed enough to bless Joseph with riches.  God never left Joseph and his family through it all.  He blessed them with abundance in the middle of a famine.  Only God, God our Provider.  And it all began with a dream…

Jesus, Son of God, offers complete forgiveness of all our sins for all who believe. By His sacrifice on the cross He removed all sins past, present, and future, once and for all who call on His Name with a repentant heart. This was God’s Plan from the beginning!  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”—God’s Plan accomplished by Jesus, His Son—for us. (John 3:16-17) 

Max Lucado expresses the love and forgiveness of Jesus tenderly—

“Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, “I can clean that if you want.” And from the basin of his grace, he scoops a palm full of mercy and washes away our sin.

But that’s not all he does. Because he lives in us, you and I can do the same. Because he has forgiven us, we can forgive others. Because he has a forgiving heart, we can have a forgiving heart. We can have a heart like his.” –Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

Seek the heart of Jesus.  “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 

Hold nothing back.  Be ready to let go, and let God’s power of forgiveness change the way we think and respond.We may say, “I’ll never forgive them for what they have done to me.”  On our own steam; we are right.  We cannot forgive the pain others have inflicted upon us.  However, we can have a forgiving heart when we seek to have the heart of Jesus.  By His power, the resurrection power that raised Him from death to life, we can forgive!  We can have a heart like His when we seek Him and ask!

What does it mean to have a heart like Jesus? It means to kneel as Jesus knelt, bending down to touch the messy, grimy parts of the people, feeling their hate but responding with compassionate love.  It means responding to their unkindnesses with kindness. The Apostle Paul says it simply:

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” Ephesians 4:32.

Lord,

I am seeking you with all my heart as I offer all of me to you.  Transform the messy in my life to your message of redemption.  Cleanse my heart, remove that is not you.  Renew my mind, transform my behaviors.  Refresh my soul with your new, tender mercies.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within me, molding and shaping me until my heart beats in sync with your heart.  Thank you, Lord for turning things around for our good and for your glory!  I trust you with my life—because you are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen