pramsay posted on March 16, 2006 02:00 1126 views

Okay – what is going on? I know the Lord is in control. He directs the wind. He sends the showers. I even know the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord and just like the twists and turns of a river, the Lord is able to direct the heart of a mighty king. (Proverbs 21:1) But can there be any meaningful purpose in this latest development in my life?

We don’t read much about Joseph’s feelings as his brothers roughed him up, stripped him of his clothes and threw him into a pit to later be sold to strangers. Was he so spiritual and so in touch with God, that he just calmly and peacefully let it happen knowing that God was in control? No! His brother Reuben gives us a vivid glimpse of the dramatic scene of Joseph being thrown into a pit and then later sold. Reuben said: “We saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us and we would not hear...” Gen.42:21

(From the Word of God it seems clear that it was not self-induced anguish Joseph experienced. Let’s be clear: there is a difference between self-induced anguish and heaven-sent trials. We do reap what we sow and there are consequences for our choices. We only have ourselves to blame for that type of anguish.)

Joseph arrives down in Egypt not recognized any longer as a favored son. He was now the unknown slave. Could he look five years into the future and see all that God had in store for him? As the caravan came to a stop and the handcuffed Joseph stepped down on to foreign soil, was his face glowing with the knowledge that in years to come he would be the Prime Minister of Egypt? I doubt it. He was just a believer in God like you are and I am. It was a trial for him. He experienced anguish. Although he had dreams earlier that may have encouraged him, there is no question that Joseph experienced many of the same emotions, fears, and anxieties that we experience in a trial. Even though Joseph never got a glance at God’s Master Plan, there was something that kept him going. In his master’s house, “The Lord was with Joseph.” Gen. 39:2. In the prison “the Lord was with Joseph.” Gen.39:21

You may not know dear friend what God is doing with you and maybe you can not imagine how anything good could eventually come out of all of this, but today in your trial “the Lord is with you.” Don’t miss His presence with you today. Don’t ignore Him. This is a critical time in your life. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

Years later, Joseph was able to tell his brothers who had been so cruel to him….. “Come near to me…. I am Joseph your brother…. Be not angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life….. God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity and to save your lives by a great deliverance…and he kissed all his brethren.” Genesis 45:4,5,7,15

Back at the start of the long dark trial when the favored circumstances at home came to an abrupt end – maybe at that time, things seemed to be spiraling out of control and that all his aspirations and hopes were being dashed. But through it all, he experienced the sweet presence of the Lord. In retrospect, He could tell his brothers how it all fit into God’s Master Plan. There was a Divine Purpose in all that was allowed to happen in his life. It is usually in retrospect that we can connect the dots.

God still has purposes and plans today. He is a God not only of Purpose, but a God who achieves His Purposes. You are looking at the mass and mess of threads on the underside of the tapestry. On the top side, God sees His handiwork progressing. Trust Him.

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