Forgiving Those Who Hurt Us, Part 3

“God’s Work”

Joseph was enslaved, slandered, and shackled because of the jealous hatred of his brothers. What had he done to deserve such cruelty? At worst, he was a puffed up brat.

But now (20 years later) when Joseph’s grain-desperate brothers stood before their unrecognized brother, Joseph had the authority to avenge their wickedness. Instead, he forgave them. Why? When Joseph finally revealed himself as the long-lost brother, three times (Gen.45:4-8) he trumpeted God’s baffling control over these evil events:

• It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
• God sent me ahead of you to preserve a remnant for you.
• It was not you who sent me here, but God.

God sent me.... God sent me.... God sent me--is there a theme here?! Though his brothers were sub-agents, Joseph believed that God was the ultimate agent of his hardships. Sinful human will combined mysteriously with divine will to save Jacob’s family from a greater tragedy.

Were Joseph’s brothers, then, dangling on the strings of an omnipotent puppeteer? The Bible doesn’t answer this question in either/or terms. Man is free and God is in control. How can both be true? I don’t know. But Joseph could forgive because he saw God craft good from his brothers’ evil.

As with Joseph, we may wait decades before we see God’s fingerprints in our suffering. We might be tempted to whisper in God’s ear, “Couldn’t you make it a little more obvious that You are in charge?!” Joseph had suffered in the dark all those years. But when he saw his brothers bow before him, he recalled his childhood dreams of his brothers’ obeisance. He now knew that this whole experience was somehow a part of God’s greater, life-saving plans.

God asks us to forgive before we discern the good that He will spawn. It is the promise that in all things God works for the good of those who love him which sustains us. If you were ignored by a self-absorbed father, forgive your father and trust God to bring good out of that evil. If you lost your job because a co-worker fraudulently undermined you, forgive your co-worker and trust God to bring good out of his malice. If your brother swindled you out of your inheritance, forgive your brother and trust God to care for your genuine needs. If you were sexually abused as a child, forgive the abuser and trust God to bring good out of that wickedness.

We serve a God who dwarfs and can transform any sin—remember the victory of the cross!