A new perspective
Genesis 45:3-5 “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. “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. 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. God sent me before you to preserve life.
Air travel allows us to see things from a different perspective. What is on the ground looks different from several thousand feet up. Farm fields look like a patchwork quilt. Rivers look like snakes wriggling across the countryside. Cities look like ornate, intricate works of art. What one sees changes with one’s perspective.
When Joseph and his brothers meet again after many years apart, their perspectives are quite different. Because Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery and told their father he was dead, they approach the meeting trembling with fear. Joseph, however, views their meeting from the perspective of one who has faith in God’s purpose for his life and the life of the world. This perspective of faith helps us see things differently too. We do not believe that God causes bad things to happen. Instead, we trust that God is at work, even when bad things happen. Even in the midst of death, God is ever present, working to bring about God’s purposes for good—for life.
Holy Spirit, give me the faith to trust Your purpose for my life and that You are at work in the world. Amen.
A Christ In Our Home Devotion