God Has A Plan

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7

Mercy is not just feeling compassion but it is taking action to help the one in need even when we have been wronged. In Genesis 37 we read the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. If you remember the story his brothers were going to kill him. They didn’t repent of that motive but only saw a chance to make some money from Joseph’s misery by selling Him to the Midianites. Because of their actions Joseph spent 13 years as a slave and in prison before being made Pharoah’s overseer.
Separated from his family at the age of 17, a slave or in prison for 13 years, and then 9 years serving Pharoah, Joseph never wavered in his trust for God. He was not controlled by the rejection and vitriol of his brothers. He never gave place to bitterness. It would have been easy to become angry with God for the trouble that he went through because of his brother’s actions. Instead Joseph accepted the will of God and ordered his life to bring God glory.
It was 24 years after that fateful day when Joseph’s brothers stood before him. He had power to payback every injustice they had done to him. He held their lives in his hand. He not only forgave them but he embraced them, wept with them, and provided for them – abundantly! His mercy was epic and foreshadowed the Messiah.
Jesus was despised and rejected by men. Sold to the tormentors and imprisoned, He willingly gave Himself to God’s will. Raised up by the power of God, Jesus is seated at the Fathers right hand and has been given all power in Heaven and Earth. When we stand before Him guilty of the betrayal and pain that He endured it is in His power alone to decide what should become of us. Jesus lifts His hands so that we might see the scars in them as He reveals Himself to us. Weeping He embraces us and draws us into His presence. Forgiven and loved we stand recipients of divine mercy and are ushered into the abundant blessings of the One that gave Himself for us.
When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers he told them,

"Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

This is the place where mercy is found, the place where we can reach beyond the struggle and passions of betrayal to a higher plane. Can you say of the struggle, hurts, and pitfalls that others have caused in your life, “but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done”?