Joseph: Victim or Victor

So I walked into the house the other day after working out at the gym and my wife is watching Oprah. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the show, but this particular one caught my attention. The interview was with a guy whose wife and 11-year-old daughter were killed in a car accident by a kid who was drag racing near their home. The man arrived on the scene of the accident just in time to see his wife's mini-van explode while she and his daughter were trapped inside. I have a wife and two teenage children (one is a 13-year-old daughter) and I can't imagine the shock, pain and anger the man experienced not only then, but in the ensuing months and years.

This got me to thinking about some things I've been reading in Genesis over the past few days. Joseph was always one of my favorite people in the Bible. While he certainly wasn't perfect, he did seem to respond in an incredible way to tremendous injustice that was done to him - not just once, but many times. In chapter 37 he was sold into slavery by his half-brothers. Rather than getting bitter, he apparently chose to believe that God was in control of his life and he handled himself so well that he was given a position of authority in his master's house. Then the master's wife lied about him and he was put in prison on false charges (chapter 39). Again, he responded in a positive way and he was promoted - this time to leadership in the prison (also chapter 39). In prison, he was lied to and forgotten by a guy he helped out and he was left to rot in prison for two more years (chapter 40). Finally, all of his trust in God paid off and he was made a ruler over all of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh himself (chapter 41).

I'm sure you remember how his brothers came to Egypt to get food during the famine and after some time, he let them know who he was. They were scared to death that he would have them killed (and why not - what goes around, comes around) or at least make them prisoners or slaves in Egypt. How easy would it have been for Joseph to think that God had finally given him the opportunity to get revenge for all the injustice that had been done to him! He could have easily decided, "I'm the victim, here, and you all are going to pay for what you did!" Look at his response in chapter 45: "Don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives…Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you!" (New Living Translation) Later, in chapter 50, after his father had died, his brothers thought for sure that now was the time Joseph would punish them. Again, he explained to them that God was in control of his life and regardless of what had happened to him, God used it for His purposes. "Don't be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? As far as I'm concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil." (NLT)

What all of this shows me is that God is always in control of my life. I can always trust that He has my best interest at heart and he is overseeing my life, no matter how out of control things seem to get. How easy it is for us to forget this and to try to make people pay for the wrongs they do to us. We become so focused on our negative circumstances (our victimization) that we forget that God still has a purpose for us and He can still work it out (making us victorious). One of the things that I find most amazing about God is that He is so creative, that He can take evil circumstances and get so much good out of it that it almost seems like the evil was a part of His plan. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that God ever causes evil; I'm just saying that evil doesn't catch Him by surprise and it doesn't derail His plan or purpose in our lives. I think that is what Joseph was saying in Genesis 45 and 50 and what Romans 8:28 says as well: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." (NLT)

Now to the conclusion of the story I started with. As it turns out, the man spent three years doing everything he could to get the kid convicted of vehicular homicide. Then, just before the trial, he asks to meet with the kid personally (with no attorneys present). The young man expresses his grief and sorrow as best he can and the man tells him he is forgiven. He realized that no matter how much he tried to punish the young man, he could never bring his wife and daughter back and maybe taking a redemptive and restorative approach could bring good out of evil. Today he and the young man go around to schools teaching kids about the dangers of reckless driving. Not only that, but the young man strongly implied that as a result of this approach, he was now living in a right relationship with God.

Today's prayer: Father God, thank you that Jesus took the punishment for the evil that I have done and that others have done to me. Help me to release those who have done me harm, just as you have released me. Help me to realize that no matter what is going on in my life, You are always in control and Your purpose for me is still on track. Help me to realize that even though I've been hurt, I don't have to be a victim because you call me victorious (Romans 8:37). Thank you for the grace to live out your purpose for my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.