When We See the, But God, In Our Story

 

But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place?  And 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.  So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your littles ones."  So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.  Genesis 50:19-21

He said similar words years before when he revealed himself to his brothers... "Don't be angry or grieved with yourselves... FOR GOD sent me before you to preserve life." Genesis 45:5

Joseph saw God in his story and it made all the difference in his life and story.

Those words spoken about you aren't truthful, but God...

I have cancer, but God...

Those people rejected me, but God...

Someone else received the applause or promotion, but God...

Put in the hard you are walking through, but choose to look beyond to see God in the story.  Look beyond to the possibilities of what God may do.  That may be too difficult right now as the muck of the hard is too much; that's ok, simply choose to stay with God, trusting Him that He is in your story.

As I think of all that Joseph walked through, the hatred, the selling to a strange people and ending up in Egypt, resisting temptation then ending in prison because of words spoken that were not truthful, being forgotten by a fellow inmate and at the end of it all; he could say the words... "you meant it for evil, but God... meant it for life."

He saw God in his story and it kept him from bitterness and retaliation.  When I loose sight of God in my story, at how big He really is; I get stuck, mired in the pain and all too quickly I walk in the muck of self-pity and revengeful thoughts.

For a bit the waves of the storm threatened to take over, I lost sight of how big my God is and discouragement set in. 

Look at your problem and God becomes smaller. Look at God and your storm diminishes.

And I'm reminded of Peter, the moment he walked on the stormy waters to Jesus was also the moment he sank when he looked at the stormy waters. But he cried out to Jesus and Jesus stretched out His arm to save him. 

The way of God is the way to life.  God is still in the life-preserving business.  

With God there is no room for retaliation because there is always a bigger picture happening.  The hard part for me is to trust God, I mean really trusting Him and looking beyond to the possibilities of, but God.

Remembering God's Provision At Every Battle Line

 

The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked, until you came to this place.

But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way you should go.

Deuteronomy 1: 30-33

 

These words were spoken by Moses to the Israelites, the people he was leading.  The first time they reached the land of promise, all forgot what God had just done for them and the countless ways He cared for them.  They saw the giants and let fear take over, pushing back the provision of God.

 

God did not take that lightly.  That group then had to wander for forty years because God said, “None of these men, this evil generation shall see the land I swore to give your fathers.” (v. 34)  The adults who didn't trust God were not allowed to enter but it would be for their children.

 

I see several things here…

One is that when we forget God’s faithfulness we are consumed by fear and anxiety.  To forget God hurts Him deeply.  He often told the Jewish nation to remember lest they forget, and we really are no different.

Another thing, is so often I think that if I would be able to talk to God or have visible proof, tangible evidence of His provisions I would trust Him.  But how often have I had those very experiences and yet, when the next big giant or hard thing comes, I question His provision.  The Israelites had obvious provisions; manna, cloud by day, fire at night, water from a rock, shoes that did not wear out; and yet they did not trust God at the edge of their promised land.

 

Caleb and Joshua were the only two who remembered God and His provision and chose to trust Him as they entered the promised land to conquer, and they were the only two from that group that would enter the land.  They were not enough to convince the people, the other eight men did that; but they were the only two adults to come to the edge of the promised land the second time and enter.

Caleb and Joshua saw the same things that the other eight men saw as they scouted out the land.  They experienced the same provisions that everyone else experienced.  But previous provision to the eight men and the whole tribe faded in the presence of this new reality; the giants, the prosperity.

 

Tangible evidence of God’s love can be faith builders, stepping-stones for us but they may not be what we anchor our faith in, because just like the Israelites, we are very prone to reach for fear in the presence of something that seems so insurmountable.  God's provisions aren't always visible, sometimes they are behind the scenes or underground doing a hidden work in our hearts.  If tangible evidence would be enough, it would've been enough for this Jewish nation.

We, too, need to remember.  Remembering who God was in an anchor for today.  Our faithful God is the same.

 

God, through His Holy Spirit, gives us the power to be a victor and not a victim.  Because of Him we can enter the battleground because we know Who leads us.  Like David who saw the giant as someone who was defying God and to be conquered and the rest of the army would shrink back in fear at his formidable stance and cry.  Joshua and Caleb viewed the prosperity and giant of people as someone God gave them to conquer because of His promise.

When we remember His promises, His truths, we can step forward in confidence because He is with us and will fight for us.

One thing, it may not always look like you want it to.  You may not always have the present tangible evidence, but you can remember previous provisions and know with confidence that that is still the same, today, right now in your new and present reality.