Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presents. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “come close to me.” When they have done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
Genesis 45:3-5
The great famine that fell in Egypt also fell on all of the areas around it, including Canaan. But because of Pharaoh’s dreams and the gift God had given Joseph to interpret his dreams, Egypt had enough supplies to make it through the seven years.
If it wasn’t for the brothers selling Joseph into slavery and the hardships that Joseph had to endure, he may never have been in the right place at the right time or in the right mind, and his family could have literally starved to death.
Yet God made a way, not the way everyone else would’ve chosen, but the way that would grow their dependency on Him. And Joseph recognized the sovereignty of God and the plan that God had all along. So, Joseph gathered his brothers together and revealed to them who he really was, Joseph, the younger brother they had sold into slavery.
In fear, the brothers backed away, but in love and forgiveness, Joseph revealed to them the reason his coming to Egypt had to be in this way.
But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by great deliverance.
Genesis 45:7
Joseph recognized the reason and revealed the purpose in the pain, to save many lives.
Many years later, Jesus our Savior, would come to earth to live with us. He would live a humble life and die a horrific death for a reason much like Joseph’s.
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
John 6:38-39
Jesus came to save all of us from our sins. To do this he had to come down from heaven to live like a human, to die on the cross, be buried, and rise again, so he could sit at the right hand of God in heaven again.
We have a purpose, too, and once we recognize that our pain can be used for His good, to save lives, we will be walking in peace as a faithful servant of Jesus.
Then he said to them all: whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Luke 9:23-24
There is a reason for every hardship we go through and some will be revealed to us and others won’t. But when we recognize the main reason, to save lives to glorify Jesus, a peace that is beyond all understanding will fall upon our hearts, a strength that is only from God alone will fill our bones, and a passion from the Holy Spirit will fill our souls. All of this, to help us persevere through every trial, to the very end.
Running 2 Fly 