“But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.” (Genesis 45:5, NLT)

Everything from the previous eight chapters built up to this climatic event. The lord of the land of Egypt revealed to his eleven brothers that he was Joseph whom they sold as a slave twenty-two years earlier! We can only imagine how panicked they must have been knowing that their lives were in his hands! But Joseph was not vindictive. In fact, he could look back on everything that had happened and see God’s hand orchestrating all of it.

The years of pain, patience and promotion had given Joseph time to think, and as he considered the chain of events, he realized that God was working through every circumstance so that he could preserve his family throughout the famine and beyond.

As we have pointed out in this story, Joseph is a picture of Christ. Christ was rejected by His brothers when He came the first time. But when He comes again, He will reveal Himself to the Jews. He will not be vindictive but will preserve them. They will see His glory and embrace Him as their own. What a glorious reunion that will be!

And there are other reunions. I believe God is moving today to reconcile many to Himself. He has also given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). As Joseph wanted his brothers to tell their father about his glory in Egypt, the Lord wants us to tell others about His glory in heaven and that He is coming back soon to save those who believe in Him.

The lesson of Joseph is that we cannot control the circumstances that happen to us, but we can control our reaction to them. Have we allowed painful experiences to make us bitter or to deepen our trust in God? We can be bitter or better, and the choice rests with us.