It Was God Who Sent Me Here….

How many people do you know have the ability to forgive? I mean forgive major egregious acts? Even better, have you been able to forgive and work through a betrayal? When someone just flat out offended you on purpose? Joseph explains to his brothers that he forgave them after they sold him into slavery. To think they wanted him dead, all because of their jealousy, but God had a plan all along. The dream Joseph shared with his family about bowing down to him came true. All the years of being away from his family, being enslaved, and in prison, didn’t harm Joseph’s ability to forgive. He could’ve destroyed his brothers on the spot. Yet he chose to follow God, forgive, and was rewarded for his faithfulness. If you’ve ever set aside your pride and did what God wanted you to do, then you’ve tasted the glory God grants when we are obedient. If you’ve ever forgiven someone for treating you badly, then experienced freedom, then you know God’s ways are best. Could I forgive if I were in Joseph’s shoes? Not on my own, that’s for sure. It’s only when we make a decision to fully submit to God’s will that we can truly, honestly, freely, and fully forgive. Joseph did this, and so can you. If you’re struggling with unforgiveness in your life, ask God to help you, by empowering you with His Spirit. It’s the only avenue we can take that will lead to the freedom He has for us. It’s called grace.

1 Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. 2 Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.3 “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. 4 “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. 5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And He is the One who made me an adviser to Pharaoh–the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.9 “Now hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately! 10 You can live in the region of Goshen, where you can be near me with all your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. 11 I will take care of you there, for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you, your household, and all your animals will starve.’ ”12 Then Joseph added, “Look! You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that I really am Joseph! 13 Go tell my father of my honored position here in Egypt. Describe for him everything you have seen, and then bring my father here quickly.” 14 Weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin, and Benjamin did the same. 15 Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and wept over them, and after that they began talking freely with him. Genesis 45:1-15