Thursday, February 7, 2008

Joseph And God's Will


A lot of times we feel like we have to find out what God's will is for our lives, and then once we think "WE" have figured it out, we start trying to make it happen. Ever been in those shoes? Some of you may be right now. I know I have been there before.

Take Joseph for instance. He did not ask to have the dreams that God gave him about the future rule over his brothers, niether did Joseph ask to be sold into slavery. Joseph never asked to be in such a noble position for the Pharoh of Egypt, but look at how God grew Joseph into the man that He determined for him to be in Genesis 45.

4So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Joseph, I am sure, had anger towards his brothers for a long time, but God finally showed him that it was not about Joseph, and what was good for Joseph, but that it was all about God and what God wanted for his life. Joseph said "God sent me" three times in three verses above, and all the time Joseph was right in the center of God's will.

We could search all our lives to try and find out what God's will is for our lives, but the thing is, we are right in the center of it already. God's will for our lives does not mean living a life of eternal bliss on Earth. There are a lot of days, months and maybe, just maybe YEARS of hard pressed trials, pain and suffering, but in the end, we were always right where God put us at. Right where God wanted us to be. Molding and shaping us for His purpose, not ours. And that's OK, because it is not about us, it's all about God!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"God's will for our lives does not mean living a life of eternal bliss on Earth...[but] we are right where He wants us to be."

I really wish more believers understood that; we'd all spend more time worshiping our creator for His righteousness and justness!