January 26 – Genesis 41-42

Today’s reading comes from Genesis 41-42. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

God’s providence is always for the best. Do you believe that? I mean do you really believe that or do you pay it lip service? When things aren’t going right, do you utter the words … “God knows what he is doing, so I just have to trust him” … and really believe those words? Sometimes it’s hard to believe those words, because God’s ways are not our ways, and God’s plans are not our plans, and sometimes God’s plans seem to take much longer than we would ever orchestrate them to be.

Joseph had every reason to pay lip service while constantly questioning God’s plan for his life. He was loved and cherished by his father. He was hated and despised by his brothers. He was sold as a slave by his own brothers. He rose to prominence in his master’s house only to wind up in jail because his masters wife wanted to seduce him and cried rape when he resisted. Joseph’s life has been full of ups and downs. It seems like whenever things are going well it is just then that everything is cut out from under him. He could play lip service to God’s plan while still doubting in his heart.

Here’s the cool thing, God’s plan was still best. It may have taken a while. It was thirteen years after being sold as a slave when Joseph is thirty that he enters Pharaohs service (Genesis 41-46). It won’t be another seven plus years until he is reunited with his brothers. But as we will find out in tomorrow’s reading God’s providence really is best, even if it has taken almost twenty years to work out. I know patience is hard, but sometimes we just need to sit back, keep moving forward and let God work.