So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. (Gen. 45:8)
JOSEPH IS THE CLASSIC “VICTIM” STORY. He was mistreated again and again by his family, colleagues (in jail), and even those whom he thought trusted him (Pharaoh and his sneaky wife). Could things have gone any worse for him? What a bum rap! Poor guy!
So why don’t we hear victim talk from Joseph? No “poor old me” heard from Joseph. In every situation, he eventually came out golden. Why is it that some people can go through horrific tragedies and it only makes them sweeter, while others are twisted into bitter souls who never recover?
While it might make us feel better to know Joseph had his doubting days too, we don’t hear Joseph doubting that God would rescue him. He exhibited an unshakeable faith that nothing could happen that God couldn’t fix. In Genesis 45:8, Joseph exonerated his family from their guilt and claimed God was at work in and through it all.
I read an article once that said our faith boiled down to this question: If the worst happens, will God be enough? When the worst happened to Joseph (repeatedly), he reaffirmed his faith that God was enough. Faith is not about what happens to us, but who we possess inside us. Whatever life throws at us, we can be at peace knowing God will always be enough.
Trust that God will be enough for you, too.
Kathy Bence lives in Idaho with her professor husband, Phil.
