“Now
therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me
hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. And God sent
me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save
your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me
hither, but God... And there will I nourish thee.” Genesis
45:5;7;8;11
Imagine Joseph's state of mind had he known the hardships beforehand. He was despised, abandoned, enslaved, tempted, imprisoned, and forgotten. Surely this was not the life he envisioned on his 17th birthday. Now at the age of 30 Joseph saw his placement as being sent, not sold. God was with him through every affliction to accomplish His purpose. God accomplishes His will through human flesh –amazing! This fact should be the headline of conversation.
Unlike Joseph, Jesus knew what was set before Him. Jesus being fully human struggled in the knowledge of God's will. “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me,” (Matthew 26:39). God's requirement was more than Jesus' flesh could willfully choose do. Jesus did drink that cup in its entirety to deliver us from the wrath of God. His spilled blood saves and broken body nourishes us still. Jesus went through His earthly life knowing His death sentence, and in great agony requested God to veto it if possible.
What
if God laid knowledge of the future on us? Would we be likely to come
to a better knowledge of Him? An unknown future compels daily trust,
either in God or oneself.
“God does not tell you what He is going
to do; He reveals to you Who He is,” (Oswald Chambers, 1874-1917).
In every circumstance God has chosen the outcome that will most teach
us of Himself, whether or not it is successful in our own eyes.
See your placement in life as God's advancement, not the world's dungeon. Joseph's jail cell was his prayer stool. Ruth's emptied-handedness was necessary for God to fill them with His own bounty. Esther's recruitment as “replacement wife” positioned her to exterminate national threat and restore freedom of worship. Paul's imprisonment was the post from which he mailed God's love letters to the early churches. Recognize your placement as the gateway for glory! You are in the place of God. The world has 0% power over you. No one can extract you from His hand. He holds you still and precisely until you are squarely aligned to be joined to His perfect design. Be doubtless where you are. God sent you here.
He
that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall
d
o u b t l e s s
come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm
126:6
