August 5
Scripture Reading: Genesis 47:1-12
“And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramses, as Pharaoh had commanded.”
Through this life, God’s people are called upon to endure times of difficulty that are hard to understand. In their hearts they may question, “Why would my Lord allow this to happen in my life.” But then years pass, and looking back we can clearly see how God lead through the difficulties to accomplish His sovereign will in our lives. So it was with Joseph. There had to have been times in those thirteen difficult years between the ages of seventeen and thirty that he questioned God. “Why is this happening?” “What did I do to deserve these injustices I have had to endure?” Surely those were questions that crossed Joseph’s mind. Then there came the day when his brothers bowed before him. They had no way of knowing that the Egyptian before whom they bowed was their brother they had betrayed. The day Joseph saw the caravan coming from Canaan with all of his family, when he saw them settled in the land of Goshen, with their flocks grazing on the best land in Egypt, surely he understood the years of difficulty. He understood, and thanked God for His providential guidance.
Beloved, our lives are in God’s hands. When we placed faith in the Lord Jesus, we literally gave our all to Him. Accordingly, He works all things together in our lives for His glory and our good. (Romans 8:28) The difficulty that you may be enduring now has a purpose, a purpose you may not fully understand until you stand before your Lord in glory. Trust Him! Have faith in Him! Do so now, for the suffering you may be enduring now is not worthy to be compared to the glory you will see later on. (Romans 8:18)
Pastor Steve Smith
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