Forgiveness That Frees Us All
Trust is hard to establish. In the best of circumstances, it takes time to truly know a person and to trust them. As I look back on my life, I can see mistakes that I made because I trusted too quickly. And when you add the dimension of a broken trust, then it is especially difficult to trust again.
Long before Solomon’s wise words that teach us to trust in the Lord with our whole heart and not lean on our understanding, we have an example of someone who seemed to live that way. The story of Genesis is one where Joseph did not let his own understanding trump his trust in God.
Joseph would encounter many injustices, yet as he surrendered to God and embraced each situation, God transformed him into a wise leader who led a foreign country, saved his own family, and whom God used in the fulfillment of his promises to Abraham and beyond.
You would think that in the story of Joseph it might be hard for Joseph to trust his brothers, yet we see the opposite as the 11 brothers struggled to accept forgiveness from the one they treated harshly.
At least 5 years had passed since the 11 had relocated with their father to Egypt. God used Joseph to save his family from starvation. Joseph had provided land, a place to live, jobs, and everything they needed to not only survive but to thrive. Yet when Jacob died, the brothers panicked and feared that now Joseph would take his revenge on them.
“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.’”
They quickly came up with a plan and told Joseph that Dad had told them to apologize to Joseph and ask forgiveness. It is a little hard to imagine that the brothers had not seen evidence of forgiveness the last 5 years, but as I stated as I began this post, trust is hard to reestablish. And forgiveness is often hard to fully accept and embrace.
The brothers had a moment of reconciliation as Joseph tearfully responded to their concerns and fears:
“Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’”
As you consider this story of reconciliation, take a few minutes and ask yourself:
Is there someone I need to forgive?
Is there someone I need to give assurance to that the past is in the past?
Am I willing to take steps to reestablish trust in a broken relationship?
And maybe most importantly, are you willing to receive the forgiveness of God in your own life and lean into the grace he has extended to you and then extend that grace to another?
Father, thank you for the beautiful example of both reconciliation and of your providence. Today we choose to accept and live in the gift of forgiveness we have from you and in full assurance that you are and will continue to order our steps. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Genesis 45:1-8, 50:15-26 ESV
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