But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people. Therefore, don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Victory in Jesus is a song written by E. M. Bartlett and reminds me of the historical narrative of Joseph found in the last 13 chapters of Genesis (37-50). Joseph found victory in his faith in God. His own brothers sold him into slavery, and he was transported to Egypt.

Joseph was just a teenager at the time. He found favor with God and went through some hard times and eventually landed in prison. Because of God’s favor, however, he always ended up being in charge wherever he was. He managed to go from a prisoner to being the second in command in Egypt.

God gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams. In doing so, he was able to save many people from a dreadful famine that came upon the land.  God had a plan for Joseph’s life. Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him but decided to make some money by selling him into slavery.

Their intentions were purely evil. They had no idea how God would work all the evil they had done for the good of many people. They had no idea Joseph would end up in a position of authority. They did not know he would save their family from starvation.

It would have been so easy for Joseph to have been angry with his brothers. It would have been easy for him to decide to save his father, but let his brothers die. It would have been easy for him to refuse to forgive his brothers, but Joseph was trusting God.

God brought Joseph through difficult times and rewarded him for his faith. God had a plan to save many people. Joseph was a part of that plan.

My friend, when we trust in God and His plan for our life, we can’t fail. We may go through some hard times. It may seem as though people are mistreating us and trying to bring us down, but they can’t foil God’s plan for your life.

When we harbor anger, bitterness and resentment against those who have hurt us, we give them power they don’t deserve. We trust in their control in our lives rather than God’s control in our lives.

I don’t know why Joseph had to be sold into slavery, lied about, imprisoned and kept there for some years before going before Pharaoh. Maybe he needed to mature. After all, he was young when he was sold. There may have been life lessons God needed him to learn before placing him in such a high place of authority.

What we do know from what we read in Genesis is Joseph used this time to do well. He used this time to gain the trust of those in charge of him. He used this time to grow in the Lord. He always gave God credit for interpreting dreams.

Joseph went through some hard times, but God’s hands were upon Him. Throughout his ordeals, God took good care of him.

My friend if you are in a bad place and you feel it is because of the actions of others, forgive them and let it go. Believe in God’s control in your life. Believe that He has good plans for you. Trust in Him and not in those who have hurt you.

They cannot stop the good plans God has for you. The only power they have is what you give them. So, forgive them, forget about it and let it go. By doing so, we place them in God’s hands which is where we all need to be.

Have a great day!