Genesis 45
Genesis 45
“So it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
Reading Genesis 45, the two words that stuck out to me the most was that little phrase, “but God.” This is the climactic moment when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Instead of being bitter and angry, Joseph had compassion. He viewed his circumstances correctly—"God sent me before you to preserve life.”
Joseph understood his life as a part of God’s plan. He was a slave and a prisoner for 13 years, not only because his brothers betrayed him, but because God allowed it. Standing before his brothers 22 years after they had sold him into slavery, Joseph clearly saw God’s hand.
What stands out to me in this passage is the relationship between “but God” and compassion. As we examine our own circumstances, it’s very easy to become self-focused. Have you ever heard yourself say or think, “No one understands”? While that may be true in part, the danger is when we removed God from the picture. If we believe “no one understands,” then we’re seeking compassion while unable to truly give it. Conversely, if we believe that God is at work in us and through us amid our circumstances, that changes everything. No longer is our suffering purposeless. Rather, it’s something God uses.
Because Joseph understood God’s guiding hand in his suffering, it allowed him to have compassion as Pharaoh’s second in command. If we’re honest, most of us would have thrown our brothers in jail and thrown away the key. However, since Joseph realized that God had used his brother’s actions for His own good purposes, he could forgive them and provide for them.
Seeing my life in God’s plan is critical for developing compassion. If we aren’t seeing lost people saved or lives being transformed through our investment, this is one of the things we need to examine. Do we have compassion, and if not, why not? One of the major reasons might be that my circumstances have me more focused on myself than on others. A couple of you just though, “Yeah, but Tyler, you don’t understand…” That’s true, I might not. However, my question back would be “Where are you in God’s plan?”
Most of us aren’t leading characters in God’s Grand Narrative like Joseph. However, we can learn from his example that transforming grace comes from a compassionate heart that recognizes its place in God’s plan. Compassion comes from the Lord and isn’t dictated by our circumstances. In fact, some of the most compassionate people are those who’ve suffered greatly. So, suffering isn’t the reason that people lack compassion and don’t see lives around them change. Instead, it’s a lack of recognizing who I am in light of who God is and what he is doing. When we focus on Him, regardless of our circumstances, He will use us to achieve great things.
How does the understanding that God is at work change how you view your current circumstances?
By: Tyler Short
“So it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
Reading Genesis 45, the two words that stuck out to me the most was that little phrase, “but God.” This is the climactic moment when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Instead of being bitter and angry, Joseph had compassion. He viewed his circumstances correctly—"God sent me before you to preserve life.”
Joseph understood his life as a part of God’s plan. He was a slave and a prisoner for 13 years, not only because his brothers betrayed him, but because God allowed it. Standing before his brothers 22 years after they had sold him into slavery, Joseph clearly saw God’s hand.
What stands out to me in this passage is the relationship between “but God” and compassion. As we examine our own circumstances, it’s very easy to become self-focused. Have you ever heard yourself say or think, “No one understands”? While that may be true in part, the danger is when we removed God from the picture. If we believe “no one understands,” then we’re seeking compassion while unable to truly give it. Conversely, if we believe that God is at work in us and through us amid our circumstances, that changes everything. No longer is our suffering purposeless. Rather, it’s something God uses.
Because Joseph understood God’s guiding hand in his suffering, it allowed him to have compassion as Pharaoh’s second in command. If we’re honest, most of us would have thrown our brothers in jail and thrown away the key. However, since Joseph realized that God had used his brother’s actions for His own good purposes, he could forgive them and provide for them.
Seeing my life in God’s plan is critical for developing compassion. If we aren’t seeing lost people saved or lives being transformed through our investment, this is one of the things we need to examine. Do we have compassion, and if not, why not? One of the major reasons might be that my circumstances have me more focused on myself than on others. A couple of you just though, “Yeah, but Tyler, you don’t understand…” That’s true, I might not. However, my question back would be “Where are you in God’s plan?”
Most of us aren’t leading characters in God’s Grand Narrative like Joseph. However, we can learn from his example that transforming grace comes from a compassionate heart that recognizes its place in God’s plan. Compassion comes from the Lord and isn’t dictated by our circumstances. In fact, some of the most compassionate people are those who’ve suffered greatly. So, suffering isn’t the reason that people lack compassion and don’t see lives around them change. Instead, it’s a lack of recognizing who I am in light of who God is and what he is doing. When we focus on Him, regardless of our circumstances, He will use us to achieve great things.
How does the understanding that God is at work change how you view your current circumstances?
By: Tyler Short
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