Like so many others, I, too, get behind. I didn't blog last week because I got too far behind on some other things, and then I got sick over the weekend when I was out of town and hoping to write something up. But here's the important thing... I can start again. Just because you get behind in reading or journalling or your daily devotions or your prayer life doesn't mean you can't get going again.
One of the hallmarks of the christian faith, and particularly the reformed historical strain, is the belief in God's sovereignty over all of creation and over all things that happen. Sovereignty is that idea that God is in control, that God reigns, and that God knows what the future looks like. Not only does he have knowledge, though, he is also intimately involved in creation. Some would say that God is in all the details so much so that he determines every detail of every moment. Others have a sense that God is in control, but that he allows freedom within limits. You will find Christians all along that spectrum. You will also find people who believe that God is far off and is no involved in managing, controlling, or shaping today's reality, but instead that he created everything, and then sits back to “let nature take its course.” This last view is not a Christian view, but a view which is called “Deism.”
ASIDE: One of the things many people misunderstand is the faith of the Founding Fathers of the United States. I hear often about the founding of our nation on Christian values, and often the intimation that those values were consistent with or even identical to our evangelical values and beliefs. This isn't technically correct, or even really that close to correct. Most of the Founding Fathers were Deists, and often Bostonian Universalists rather classic protestants... and evangelicalism as we know it today wasn't born, yet.
What we see in this section of the Bible is God's hand working in a powerful way through circumstances that don't seem at all like they could be a part of God's plan. Joseph is treated so unjustly by his brothers, sold into slavery, and treated as a dead man. Potiphar's wife unjustly accuses Joseph of inappropriate sexual advances, which lands him in jail. So much for doing the right thing, huh? But in any case, we see that God knew what he was doing and knew what was going to happen and strategically placed Joseph where he needed to be. Notice these passages in Chapter three that get at this idea:
Clearly, it looks like the brothers are in control of what's happening:
“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
And the Lord is clearly with Joseph, despite his circumstances:
The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.
...while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
But the idea goes even further. God has actually been deeply involved in the whole plan, unbeknownst to the brothers:
Joseph says,
“...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.”
“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid.”
God not only makes good out of a bad situation and uses “all things for the good of those who love him,” [Romans 8:28] actually seems to be somehow in on it or behind it all along. God had some foreknowledge of what was going to happen and planned accordingly. And not only that, Joseph becomes aware of it. This piece, for me, is key. Instead of anger for his brothers or self-righteousness (ok, there is a little payback at their expense with Benjamin and the silver), Joseph believes deeply that God's hand is not only in the good times, but also in the bad times. God is sovereign no only when things appear to go right and well, but when they go bad and wrong. Joseph refuses to let his circumstances created bitterness in him; he refuses to sulk, be angry, or hold a grudge. Instead, his faith and trust in God go deep and wide even in times when he doesn't understand and only retrospect can show that God either planned all this or allowed all this (depending on how strong you are God's detailed involvement here and your view of human freedom) so that there would be a way to deal with the famine in Palestine.
And not only that, have you ever thought of this? If the people of Israel had not ended up as slaves in Egypt, where would the story of Passover come from and how might things have changed in understanding blood sacrifice, salvation, and being "under the blood"? (more to come later.)
So, here's the personal questions for application:
- Looking back on your own life, where can you see that God was sovereign when life felt out of control or headed in a wrong direction?
- What area in your life might God be working right now in a way that could totally altar how you feel about a situation, or even a person?
- Might your frustration or anger at someone be misdirected if God is somehow using them or the situation to get you somewhere else in life? It was true with Joseph, and it could be true with you as well.
