That's Why I'm Here!

Genesis 45:5

And now do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

Sometimes when we are going through a series of unfortunate events we begin to wonder, ‘why in the world are we where we are?’ At the beginning of your life you felt favored by God but now you feel forgotten. Why am I here? It would be easy to give up where you are because of the struggle, the injustice, and the cruelty but then you would miss the ending of your own movie. Your latter is going to be greater but you have to make it through the middle to see the end.

Joseph lived through this kind of drama. Favored by his Father, his brothers sold him into slavery at 17 years of age. He went from slavery to prison to the palace. He was made second in charge of all of Egypt by age 30. You could say he graduated from the "school of hard knocks" with a Master’s in Management through crisis and a Doctorate in Divine Intervention. Everything Joseph went through, God used it to make Joseph into the leader he needed to be to save many lives.

He used the pit to separate him from his jealous brothers. Sometimes when we are persecuted by people who we thought had our backs is really an opportunity for us to distance ourselves from people who could block our destiny.

He used Potiphar’s house to teach him how to manage OPP(Other People’s Property). Joseph was put in charge of the entire estate. Mrs. Potiphar made sexual advances against Joseph but he refused and said, “With me in charge my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” If you can be trusted with little you can be trusted with much.

He used Prison to teach him perseverance. Potiphar’s wife lied on Joseph and he went to prison on trumped up charges but God still used him in prison. He interpreted the dream of the cupbearer and asked him to remember him when he got out and tell Pharaoh that he was innocent. He forgot Joseph for 2 more years.

He used the Palace to bring him into his purpose. The cupbearer finally remembered Joseph when Pharaoh had a dream no one could interpret. Joseph told the King the dream was a warning about a famine and what he should do about it. Pharaoh put him second in charge.

When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt looking for food during the famine, Joseph finally revealed himself to them. He told them, “God sent me here ahead of you to save many lives. What you meant for my evil God meant or used for my good. “That’s why I’m here. Instead of bemoaning the misfortunate events in your life trust that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.

Dear God,

Thank you for using my series of unfortunate events to shape me and put me in my purpose. I’m glad that all things are working for my good. I Love you Lord and I trust you during this process. God work it out for my good, so that I can tell my haters, “What you meant for my bad turned out for my good.”

In Jesus Name,

Amen