What is This That God Has Done to Us?

Genesis 42:26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

God had put Joseph right where he needed to be, for his own good, the survival of his family, and the well-being of multitudes of people. Through him there was grain available for his family to buy. Since they had not seen him mature into manhood, they did recognize him, but he recognized them. What he did for them was seen as too good to be good: gave them the grain with their money back.  He was blessing them and testing them, much like God often does to us.  They saw their good fortune as bad luck. Guilt was heavy upon them though they did not know where it came from.  Such events can and should cause us to search our hearts.  Not only when bad things happen, but good, we should ask: "What is God doing here?"