19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21
Since we began this story of Joseph, we’ve been able to see Grace in Action. What we don’t see, however, is the process of how Joseph got this way.
Oh, we know his trials to be certain, but what were his struggles in prison when he was wrongfully accused?
What was he thinking when the chief cup bearer forgot about him while he rotted away in that dungeon?
What went through his mind as his own family threw him into a cistern and later sold him to merchants?
We don’t see the nights of weeping and crying out to God, but most assuredly, they were there.
In other words, we’re seeing a near-finished work of God in Joseph. The process to get there wasn’t pretty or over smooth waters.
So, when I said the other day, “Part of me wants Joseph to lash out at his brothers” he probably already rehearsed that a million times in the dungeon and before God.
The end product was Joseph saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”
The end product was Joseph forgiving his brothers.
The end product was Joseph living at peace with himself and with God.