Genesis 45:3-11, 15 (NRSV)
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.
You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
I will provide for you there--since there are five more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'
And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
Song: “Better Than I” by David Campbell
Lyrics: Click here
So it was not you who sent me here, but God…
This statement by Joseph is powerful on so many levels. When you consider the trials and tribulations that Joseph experienced on the way to his position as Pharaoh’s right-hand man, in these words he is declaring that God was at work even in the most difficult of times. When you add to that the fact that Joseph is saying these words to his brothers, the very ones who sold him into slavery out of hatred and jealousy, the words become a forgiving balm on top of a declaration of trust. In a worldly sense he had every right to punish them for what they’ve done, but Joseph sees it all through the eyes of faith…and that changes everything.
I have often wondered what kind of doubts and questions filled Joseph at the lowest points of his journey. To go from “favored son status” to slave to household manager to falsely accused criminal sitting in jail…along that roller coaster did Joseph ever doubt God was at work? How did he hold on to faith when every external circumstance told him that he had been forgotten and abandoned?
The 2000 animated film “Joseph: King of Dreams” imagines this very scenario in a powerful way, and uses a song that, 22 years later, remains near the very top of my favorite songs of all time. Have you ever heard a song, paying close attention to the lyrics, and thought to yourself, “Whoever wrote this song gets it?” When you encounter lyrics that perfectly capture what it means to be a human being wrestling with faith, you tend to sit up and pay attention. In a world of cliches and Pollyanna-ish answers to difficult questions, we need songs that meet us in the muck and mire of our humanness.
“Better Than I” does just that, right from the start:
I thought I did what's right.
I thought I had the answers.
I thought I chose the surest road,
But that road brought me here.
So I put up a fight,
And told You how to help me.
Now, just when I have given up,
The truth is coming clear…
The truth is that you and I…all of us…struggle with wanting to “get it right” and be in control. When things are going well we’re very aware of God’s blessings, but when things go off the rails we fight and we “tell God how to help us.” The truth of the matter is…God is often working his plan out in our lives despite us, and sometimes when things derail it’s because we thought we were in control and we trusted in ourselves.
What do we do when that happens? We often begin a “deep dive” into the problem, trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. That, too, is a sign of our desire to control. We think if we can solve the crisis we can prevent it from happening again. But that’s often not the lesson we need at that point. The lesson we need, as the song points out, is to “let go the need to know why.” To surrender our lives to God means we may never get the full explanation of our more difficult seasons, but instead of answers God gives us something better: he gives us himself.
If this has been a test,
I cannot see the reason.
But maybe knowing I don't know
Is part of getting through.
I try to do what's best,
And faith has made it easy,
To see the best thing I can do
Is put my trust in You.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Do you wrestle with a need for control and answers? How might God be calling you today to take a large step of faith and trust?
What situations have you faced that, while difficult at the time, led to greater trust in God’s providence? Spend some time in prayer thanking God for how he shepherded you through that journey.
What practices and Scripture passages help you re-center when life seems spiraling out of your control? Here are some Scripture verses worth meditating on in difficult seasons. Spend some time reading and praying through them:
Psalm 9:10 (NRSV): And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 28:7 (NRSV): The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Isaiah 26:3 (NRSV): Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—in peace because they trust in you.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NRSV): Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV): Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.