It Was God

It Was God

Reading: Genesis 44-46; Luke 18 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. 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. (Genesis 45:5, 8 NLT) Joseph had spent thirteen years as a slave and a prisoner because of what his brothers had done to him. Now he had ruled as Governor of Egypt for nine years. There’s a clue to the health of his spirit and soul in his naming of his first-born son Manasseh, meaning “God has made me forget my hardships”. Three things here speak to me deeply:
• Joseph kept his soul healthy by forgetting his past hardships and living in the present.
• Joseph did not desire revenge on his brothers. He didn’t even want them to feel guilty!
• Joseph saw God in control of his life, even when others betrayed him.

There is much that I cannot control in my circumstances and in the actions of others toward me. I will live my healthiest, happiest, and most productive life if I forgive and forget past offenses and injustices and live fully in the present. Jesus taught us, “Forgive and receive forgiveness, give and receive blessing, release others and be free yourself.”

“It was God who sent me here!” I choose to see God alone as the one who controls my destiny. No revenge and no regrets! I will trust him and thank him. Friends, do you see the freedom in this truth? Will you determine today that it is God who is in control of your past, your present, and your future? Take a step of faith into a no-revenge and no-regrets life in the plan and purpose of God alone! Prayer: Father, Thank you for the grace of forgiveness and the grace of forgetfulness. I believe that you are in control of my past, my present, and my future. I release from judgment anyone who has wronged me, and I look at today and tomorrow as filled with the grace of my loving Father God. Amen.