Seize the Moment – Day 448
A Happy Ending!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, June 8.
I love it when stories have happy endings!
Joseph’s life was epic; it was filled with great suffering, but every step of the way Joseph trusted God’s providence, especially with the ending of his story.
After Joseph’s father died, Joseph’s brothers became insecure about how Joseph would treat them. In many ways, they saw their father as their safety blanket, but it was in this dramatic moment that Joseph demonstrated that the forgiveness he had previously given his brothers in Genesis 45:4-15 was genuine.
Listen to Joseph speak to his brothers in Genesis 50:19-21,
“Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph gives God all the glory for anything good that has come from his life, including how God used those worst moments of his life.
Genesis ends with Joseph’s death in Egypt, but his final request to his brothers sets up the reader for the next book, the book of the Exodus. On his death bed, Joseph asked to be buried in the Promised Land with his father. Little did Joseph know that even though his story was coming to a happy ending, the epic story of the nation of Israel was about to dive deep into a very long and dark valley, as it would take over 400 years for Joseph’s request to be fulfilled by Moses (Exodus 13:19).
Seize the moment and trust God for the happy ending of your story and trust God for the ongoing epic story of His creation!