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God sees to the Horizon

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Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good,… Genesis 50:18-20a

Way back at the beginning of the story of Joseph’s life and dreams he hoped his brothers would listen to him. But here many years later we see that God had worked in Joseph’s heart to the point where it was Joseph who had learned to listen to them. He who had interpreted the dreams of a king had a more difficult task at hand, to listen to the fears of his brothers. Joseph had never been accepted. He was born to a different mother, he had been given a different robe, a different position and later an entirely different set of life’s experiences. But at the end of the day the deepest lesson Joseph had learned was to forgive his brothers and to see it all as good in the hands of God.

Have there been life altering circumstances brought into your life as the result of the sins of others? Have you been talked about, unjustly accused and suffered legal consequences all because of a lie? All of that and more happened to Joseph and yet God had chosen those exact situations to work together for good. And the most amazing thing of all about God’s goodness is not just that he turned his brothers’ sin into good in Joseph’s life, but that He also turned everything around for the good of even those brothers!

“God is good all the time” we often shout in church. But while we often think first of God being good to us we need to remember that he also wants to be good to our enemies. Jesus told us to forgive our enemies and Joseph shows us that we can also learn to listen to them. Take this moment to sincerely pray and ask Godimg_3260 if He has put someone in your life who has caused you pain, who you should be listening to and forgiving just as Joseph did. Choose now to forgive because God means it all for good: everyone’s good. We may see only the barriers of the bad things that they have done but God sees beyond to the horizon!!

Waiting at the Red Sea

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Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14

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One of my professors at Bible college once told me that the Christian life wasn’t hard to live, it was impossible. In each of our lives the Red Sea represents the place of impossibility. It is impossible for us to become Christians, impossible to grow in our faith and impossible to accomplish anything which God has called us to do – without the miraculous grace of God. But God in His miraculous grace has a process through which He operates. The story of Moses and the children of Israel leave us an encouraging example.

Maybe you are in an impossible situation or if one is looming on your horizon like a dark cloud. Just begin where all good journeys begin: at the beginning! The beginning is facing the Red Sea with the sound of your enemies at your back. It is quite natural to feel a sense of panic, but in that in that dark and lonely moment remind yourself that God Himself has led you to that shore.

The greatest fear we face is the fear of the unknown. We don’t know what will happen. We can’t imagine how our life will be if x, y or z happens. But God specializes in doing his best work when we don’t understand. Let your faith work in the same way that you welcome anesthesia before surgery. Your confidence doesn’t lie in your ability to direct the surgeon’s hands but in the knowledge that He is doing it all for your good.

You will never have a greater opportunity to grow in your trust towards God. Nothing is by chance in this battle you are in. You haven’t taken a wrong turn and this is not a dead end. In fact you are in exactly the right place in your walk. God has brought you to your own Red Sea. Stand strong with expectancy and you will discover what only God could imagine to do next!