Verses:
“But Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” - (Gen. 50:19, 20)
There are several passages of Scripture that have (and do) speak deeply to me. They so resonate within my soul that I can openly state their personal worth. This is one of those life altering stories within The Story. The Joseph narrative is widely popular and equally known. Joseph suffered deeply at the hands of those whom he held close. His own bloodline abandoned him and wished him dead. Lest we seek to downplay the weight of such action, please pause to consider such handling. Perhaps you’ve endured such treatment at the hands of those to whom you looked for love, acceptance, favor, forgiveness and service. Maybe you were abandoned as a child or rejected by a spouse. Perhaps as an adult parent your children have left you to serve their own interests. These are the rejections that pierce severely, pain notably and scar grotesquely.
I do not believe Joseph was innocent of all charges. He was not blameless in his conduct toward his siblings, but his brotherly crimes and sibling rivalry where hardly compatible with the trouble he was forced to endure.
We do not know when Joseph came to faith, but his encounter with the living God was unmistakable. It so altered his soul that he was no longer capable of harboring bitterness toward those who treated him unjustly. His hurt was justifiable, most of ours are not. He justly deserved to be offended and feel the biting sting of personal injury. Yet despite all of this, God worked powerfully in and through his life whereby he was able to forgive and let it go. He would not allow himself to be in bondage to his brothers’ sin. He could forgive the past and embrace the present simply because He knew who had written The Story and all he was invited to do was to trust the author. This much is plain.
How about you? What “issue” or injury do you need to come to grips with? Perhaps you’ve failed to forgive the past and thus you are an emotional slave who is incapable of robust life. God did not redeem so that any of His people might continue or persist in emotional bondage. Friend, let it go. There is no dismissing of culpability for those who perpetrate the sin/crime. They will be impacted by their actions and choices, but you cannot be in bondage to it.
If God can forgive you of your sins against Him and if Joseph can forgive his brothers of their sins against him, then do you not think we might forgive those who have trespassed against us (Matt. 6:12)?
You will never be able to embrace the present unless and until you forgive the past. May God grant us great victory as we give ourselves to prayer and fasting.
by Pastor Pat Griffiths
