4 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Genesis 45:4-8 (CSB): “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please, come near me,’ and they came near. ‘I am Joseph, your brother,’ he said, ‘the one you sold into Egypt. And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Have you ever been on the receiving end of injustice? I suspect that you have.
Have you ever struggled to get over the feelings of injustice? Have you had at least one instance where you settled into anger and bitterness because of what had unjustly been done to you? Might you be struggling with anger and bitterness even as you read this?
When we look at Joseph’s words in our verses for today, they seem tame. We might have read them without the least bit of emotion.
But I suspect that those words came hard for Joseph. It may have taken quite some time for him to get to that point.
He knew full well that if it weren’t for God’s grace, he would have either been a slave, a prisoner, or dead. His brothers had previously despised him so much that they were prepared to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. Their father, Jacob, endured the grief of losing his favorite son, but the family went on as Joseph faced one struggle after another in Egyptian bondage and slavery. If it weren’t for God’s grace, things could have gone very, very differently.
Now, let’s step back and take a look at something for a moment. Suppose Joseph refused to see God’s hand at work in it all. Instead, let’s say that Joseph only dwelt on the injustice that had been done to him. For years and years, he only thought about the injustice. What do you think Joseph would have been like when his brothers showed up? Angry? Bitter? Ready for revenge? All of the above and more?
But that’s not what Joseph dwelt on. Sure, he acknowledged the injustice that his brothers had done to him. But he also believed that a powerful and gracious God had overruled the situation and turned an injustice into something good. As Joseph chose to look at it this way, he wasn’t angry, bitter, or revengeful as his brother suspected. Instead, he had matured into a very healthy-minded man who was in a position to leverage his power to help those in need.
Friend, it’s not what happens to you; it’s how you choose to view what happens to you that matters.
You can dwell on the injustice or choose to see God’s hand in it. Maybe you cannot see the good that God will bring out of it, but you trust God to do so. As a result, you don’t get bitter because of injustice. Instead, you get better.
Injustice is just going to happen in our lives on this earth. So we had better learn to think about it rightly. We need to see things like Joseph saw them.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, You know all about injustice. You came to earth to share the Father’s love. Yet, you were maligned, falsely accused, beaten, and crucified. But the Father overruled the injustice for good. Because of Your sacrifice, anyone who trusts in You can be forgiven and brought into the Kingdom. Help me develop the habit of seeing things through the lens of how God delights in bringing about good even in the most unjust circumstances. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Going Deeper
If you want to go deeper, check out this article by Got Questions: “What does the Bible say about injustice?”
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com).
Matt’s Musings 