Introduction. After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were afraid he might take vengeance on them for selling him into slavery. When Joseph heard, he came to comfort them: “Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid;” (Gen. 50:19-21). Joseph knew God’s providence had been at work. While Joseph left it to God to deal with their wicked act of betrayal and treachery, he was content that through God’s power and wisdom, it had been turned into a great blessing for him.
This is a wonderful example of how God can change an outcome without using supernatural or direct intervention. Many of us, like Joseph, have had events in our lives that defy logical explanations. Sometimes things unfold in such an amazing way that coincidence alone can’t explain it. Since we have promises that God will use His providence to help us, we should praise Him and feel His favor any time we are blessed in this way. Since Jesus told us “I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” (Mt. 28:20), we should always live with an expectation of God’s providence working in our life. Since with such eyes of faith “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,” we should feel blessed and gain confidence when they do.
This is a wonderful example of how God can change an outcome without using supernatural or direct intervention. Many of us, like Joseph, have had events in our lives that defy logical explanations. Sometimes things unfold in such an amazing way that coincidence alone can’t explain it. Since we have promises that God will use His providence to help us, we should praise Him and feel His favor any time we are blessed in this way. Since Jesus told us “I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” (Mt. 28:20), we should always live with an expectation of God’s providence working in our life. Since with such eyes of faith “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,” we should feel blessed and gain confidence when they do.
“Providence” is from the Latin “pro-videntia -- “to know or see before, foreknowledge or foresight.” Since God is infinitely wise, knows the thoughts of all men, and understands time and physics in ways far deeper than our own, it is a simple matter for Him to know the outcome of any event before it occurs. With this “foresight” and “foreknowledge” along with His infinite power to intervene in this creation, He makes amazing things seem simple. Truly, “as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:9).
This is why the power and wisdom of God should bring such great confidence and boldness to us. With God’s ways and thoughts, He used the hatred of Joseph’s brothers, the slave traders, his enslavement to Potiphar, the wicked slander of Potiphar’s wife, his bitter years of imprisonment, and the dreams of a butler, baker, and Pharaoh to bring Joseph to power and bless all Israel. Because this account was inspired, we know it was providence, and it was recorded for us so we can see how easy it is for God to fulfill His promise: “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6). Although it may have looked like it, even in times of greatest suffering, at no time did God ever forsake Joseph. He was working with him and for him through it all.
The amazing ability of God to see the future and have the power to take the steps necessary to make “all things work together for good to those who love God” should be the foundation of our confidence and our peace. This was the basis of God’s promise to Abraham that not only would he become the father of a great nation, but also the father of many nations. As Paul looked back on that fulfilled promise, thousands of years later he said that God had exhibited the power to “call those things which do not exist as though they did.” (Rom. 4:17). God can do this with all of his children! He can do it with nations and in any way He desires to bring His love and mercy to as many as possible. Nothing limits Him! “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Lk. 1:37). He can call things that don’t exist as though they do” both in the near future or in thousands of years.
The book of Esther was written to reveal God’s amazing ability to work to save His people. Just like Joseph, God could take terrible circumstances that had come upon a young woman and still cause it to lead to a good outcome. Esther was a beautiful and faithful young woman who was essentially taken against her will, and forced to become a candidate to become queen. Who would have suspected that God could use such a terrible tragedy to lift her to the highest position in the kingdom, then use her to thwart wicked Haaman’s plan to destroy the entire Jewish race?
Mordecai summed it up, “if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est. 4:14). It is clear from these words that Mordecai had the faith and confidence to know that God would intervene. He knew God had promised to bring the Messiah into this world through the children of Abraham and that many of God’s promises would have been broken if God did nothing. This made him bold and confident that God would bring deliverance. Once again, God used simple things to stop a wicked scoundrel: Mordecai overhearing a plot to kill the king, a sleepless night leading to the king finding out what Mordecai had done, and a courageous young Jewish woman who was willing to risk her life. God can weave together seemingly inconsequential things to bring about His purpose.
This is how “God’s ways” are far higher than “our ways.” We can hardly comprehend such an amazing ability. With “our ways,” we can only see the outcome after it happens. This is why we have the proverb: “hindsight is always 20/20,” which means that it is only after the event that we can clearly see the outcome. We simply don’t have the power to make things turn out as we desire. What we can only do with hindsight, God can do with foresight! God doesn’t need an outcome before He acts. He acts to create the outcome He desires.
This brings us to a complicated and thorny issue. Since we know God can do these things, why isn’t everything working for good? Why didn’t God stop Joseph’s brothers? Why isn’t my life exactly as I want it to be? The answer to this question takes us back to the initial creation. When God finished His creation and gave us dominion, He expected a fellowship similar to that of a father to his children. Under those circumstances there was no need for discipline and punishment, so the creation was made for fellowship and love. But through the acts of Satan and the rebellion of Adam and Eve, this fellowship was broken and instead of children, He had enemies. He knew that the vast majority of mankind would either ignore and forget Him or hate and dishonor Him. His own desire was to save as many as possible. As He considered all possible outcomes, He was forced to curse His beautiful and perfect creation. This curse was necessary to punish those who refused to turn to Him and to help His children grow to maturity and to remain faithful until death.
The result of this curse James calls “manifold trials” and revealed God placed them here to create patience in His children. (Jas. 1:3-5). They humble us, change our outlook, bring us nearer to God, and give us wisdom. We should neither want nor expect them to be fully removed. We trust God and know that: “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.” (1Cor. 10:13). The real crux of all our understanding of providence was revealed by Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. There, as He fervently prayed for God’s intervention, “His sweat became like great drops of blood” and His pleading “with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death.” (Lk. 22:44; Heb. 5:7). Yet through it all, Jesus had an absolute confidence that God knew best and thus He prayed: “not My will, but Yours, be done!” Later it was said, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” (Heb. 5:8-9).
Conclusion. God’s sense of justice and righteousness along with His true and deep love which always seeks what is best for us make God perfect to make these decisions for us. With our own selfish desires and limited knowledge, we are the last ones to make them. If we are wise, we will always defer to His judgment and trust as our life unfolds that He is working with us and for us. This should be coupled with our own desire, as Jesus before us, to make whatever personal sacrifices for the good of all.
Truly, God does have the power to intervene in any way He desires, the wisdom and knowledge to see all outcomes (both present and future), a perfect knowledge of our capabilities and needs, and the ability to know how these things will affect our friends and families in the future. We can and should feel great peace knowing everything is in His perfect and capable hands.
This is why the power and wisdom of God should bring such great confidence and boldness to us. With God’s ways and thoughts, He used the hatred of Joseph’s brothers, the slave traders, his enslavement to Potiphar, the wicked slander of Potiphar’s wife, his bitter years of imprisonment, and the dreams of a butler, baker, and Pharaoh to bring Joseph to power and bless all Israel. Because this account was inspired, we know it was providence, and it was recorded for us so we can see how easy it is for God to fulfill His promise: “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6). Although it may have looked like it, even in times of greatest suffering, at no time did God ever forsake Joseph. He was working with him and for him through it all.
The amazing ability of God to see the future and have the power to take the steps necessary to make “all things work together for good to those who love God” should be the foundation of our confidence and our peace. This was the basis of God’s promise to Abraham that not only would he become the father of a great nation, but also the father of many nations. As Paul looked back on that fulfilled promise, thousands of years later he said that God had exhibited the power to “call those things which do not exist as though they did.” (Rom. 4:17). God can do this with all of his children! He can do it with nations and in any way He desires to bring His love and mercy to as many as possible. Nothing limits Him! “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Lk. 1:37). He can call things that don’t exist as though they do” both in the near future or in thousands of years.
The book of Esther was written to reveal God’s amazing ability to work to save His people. Just like Joseph, God could take terrible circumstances that had come upon a young woman and still cause it to lead to a good outcome. Esther was a beautiful and faithful young woman who was essentially taken against her will, and forced to become a candidate to become queen. Who would have suspected that God could use such a terrible tragedy to lift her to the highest position in the kingdom, then use her to thwart wicked Haaman’s plan to destroy the entire Jewish race?
Mordecai summed it up, “if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est. 4:14). It is clear from these words that Mordecai had the faith and confidence to know that God would intervene. He knew God had promised to bring the Messiah into this world through the children of Abraham and that many of God’s promises would have been broken if God did nothing. This made him bold and confident that God would bring deliverance. Once again, God used simple things to stop a wicked scoundrel: Mordecai overhearing a plot to kill the king, a sleepless night leading to the king finding out what Mordecai had done, and a courageous young Jewish woman who was willing to risk her life. God can weave together seemingly inconsequential things to bring about His purpose.
This is how “God’s ways” are far higher than “our ways.” We can hardly comprehend such an amazing ability. With “our ways,” we can only see the outcome after it happens. This is why we have the proverb: “hindsight is always 20/20,” which means that it is only after the event that we can clearly see the outcome. We simply don’t have the power to make things turn out as we desire. What we can only do with hindsight, God can do with foresight! God doesn’t need an outcome before He acts. He acts to create the outcome He desires.
This brings us to a complicated and thorny issue. Since we know God can do these things, why isn’t everything working for good? Why didn’t God stop Joseph’s brothers? Why isn’t my life exactly as I want it to be? The answer to this question takes us back to the initial creation. When God finished His creation and gave us dominion, He expected a fellowship similar to that of a father to his children. Under those circumstances there was no need for discipline and punishment, so the creation was made for fellowship and love. But through the acts of Satan and the rebellion of Adam and Eve, this fellowship was broken and instead of children, He had enemies. He knew that the vast majority of mankind would either ignore and forget Him or hate and dishonor Him. His own desire was to save as many as possible. As He considered all possible outcomes, He was forced to curse His beautiful and perfect creation. This curse was necessary to punish those who refused to turn to Him and to help His children grow to maturity and to remain faithful until death.
The result of this curse James calls “manifold trials” and revealed God placed them here to create patience in His children. (Jas. 1:3-5). They humble us, change our outlook, bring us nearer to God, and give us wisdom. We should neither want nor expect them to be fully removed. We trust God and know that: “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.” (1Cor. 10:13). The real crux of all our understanding of providence was revealed by Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. There, as He fervently prayed for God’s intervention, “His sweat became like great drops of blood” and His pleading “with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death.” (Lk. 22:44; Heb. 5:7). Yet through it all, Jesus had an absolute confidence that God knew best and thus He prayed: “not My will, but Yours, be done!” Later it was said, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” (Heb. 5:8-9).
Conclusion. God’s sense of justice and righteousness along with His true and deep love which always seeks what is best for us make God perfect to make these decisions for us. With our own selfish desires and limited knowledge, we are the last ones to make them. If we are wise, we will always defer to His judgment and trust as our life unfolds that He is working with us and for us. This should be coupled with our own desire, as Jesus before us, to make whatever personal sacrifices for the good of all.
Truly, God does have the power to intervene in any way He desires, the wisdom and knowledge to see all outcomes (both present and future), a perfect knowledge of our capabilities and needs, and the ability to know how these things will affect our friends and families in the future. We can and should feel great peace knowing everything is in His perfect and capable hands.
- “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” (Isa 26:3-4)