8 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. (Genesis 43)
Sometimes pleasant surprises can bring fear. The brothers of Joseph found themselves possessing "stolen" money. They were afraid of what may happen. A short time later they would be afraid all over again when Joseph would reveal himself to them as the brother they had sold into slavery. Real, reasonabe fears. Yet what Joseph shows and tells them is that behind these fears were also blessings and causes for rejoicing. What they viewed as "this is not a good thing", did have their "silver lining". God was blessing them. At times like this, we might be able to see little good in being homebound, restricted, even found in want. But God does have blessings in store if we do the right thing, trust Him, and wait upon Him. May God calm our fears and help us see the blessings He has provided for us, even in the hardest situations.
No comments:
Post a Comment