OUR BENEVOLENT AND COMPASSIONATE FATHER!!

Verse for Today: Thursday, December 15, 2011

Genesis 50:21 – “So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And (Joseph) reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph’s brothers had doubts about their sustainability in Egypt because they were guilty of their wrong doings against their brother. But Joseph willingly and purposefully forgave them and took time to repeatedly dispel their fears. He kept promising them that he would provide for them and their families. Joseph was such a benevolent brother who was able to see the hand of God working through him to fulfill His purpose in the lives of the family of Jacob. Joseph speaks to us today about the providence of God towards His children during difficult times. God moves various events in human history and turned things around for His children’s welfare. His purposes in these interventions are to glorify His name through the lives of His children. At the same time, God reveals His character through these events. He is a forgiving and loving Father who keep helping and supporting His children during difficult times. He looks at our future and not our past. When we confess our past failures and weaknesses, He forgives us and will not remember these sins any longer. But He is interested in building us up for the future so that He can use our lives to become a blessing to those whom we touch through our interactions of different kinds. God touched Joseph’s life and used Him to touch the lives of the people of Egypt and even the royal family. He also had the opportunity to touch the lives of his father, stepmothers and brothers with all their families. The reassurance Joseph gave to his brothers is similar to the reassurance our Lord gives today to all His children that He will look after us in our times of needs.

Dear friend, do you sometimes develop doubts about God’s willingness and capacity to help you in times of dire needs? Are you unsure about God’s open mind and free dealings with you in spite of your shortcomings and the ways by which you have grieved the Spirit of God? But if you have sought God’s forgiveness through genuine repentance, He will forgive you and will not fish out those sins He once forgave you. His displeasure with you will not last long because when you repent, He will not deal with you according to your past, but according to your future. This was how He dealt with Abraham, Isaac, Noah, David, Moses and Peter. His displeasure with them melted when they expressed their penitence to Him. Thereafter the Lord kept providing for them to meet their needs. Just as Joseph was magnanimous with his brothers, our Lord will be magnanimous with us in providing for us. Today He wants us not to be afraid of possible punishment for our spiritual crimes. As a loving father, our God will spank us for some of our disobedience, but He will not deal with us according to our shortcomings. So we can go to Him with confidence and courage today and confess our failures and weaknesses. He will surely forgive us and will reassure us, as He reassured Peter after he disowned the Lord three times. His promise of provision, protection and fellowship will be available to us as we renew our lives each day with the help of His Spirit.