God Always Knows

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, 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. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt." Genesis 45:4-8

The story of Joseph is one of the greatest examples of seeing the good that can become of trials. I love it when we're going through a rough patch, and I turn to Genesis, read about Joseph, and I become encouraged. Joseph had a very rough going of life for a while! His brothers hated him because his father favored him, and when an opportunity presented itself, Joseph's brothers sold him and told their father he was dead. Joseph went on to live in Egypt, where he became a member of Pharaoh's household and then spent many, many years in jail. It wasn't until later on, when facing his brothers again, that he was able to look back and see that all his trials, and everything he went through had a purpose. It had a big purpose at that! As he was meant to become a valued member of Pharaoh's household in order to save his family, which would grow into the nation that God had promised so many years before.

God always knows. As He watches us go through trials and struggles, and work to overcome them, God is always an active participant. He never gives us more than we can handle, and He also sees the future. He sees how today's struggles will lead to tomorrow's walk in the park.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

That is extremely encouraging to me when we are going through a struggle. Yet even now, as we're in the midst of our own woes, I am able to look back, look at the years past and see other times of lesser, similar struggles, and I can clearly see how those earlier struggles have helped to shape us. I can see how past struggles really helped prepare us as larger struggles came along. And the best part is? God always wins. He always comes through and gets the glory for the success at the end of the day. There is no mountain too big for our God to move, and we have the faith to see that mountain completely eliminated. God used Joseph for a very great and mighty purpose, and I just can't help but wonder what our purpose will be. His ways may be mysterious, but they are His Ways... while it may be difficult to go through these rocky paths and bumps along the way, it gives me great excitement to think about what may be just around that next bend. God is awesome! And nothing we go through is pointless or without purpose. And as long as we remember that it IS the Joy of the Lord that is our Strength, I think we'll muster our way through. And on the other side, boy, will we have a story to tell to share what God has done for us. I'm looking forward to that.