God Sent Me Ahead of You

Everything is against me. Genesis 42:36

In the Bible there was a man named Jacob who had many sons. One of them was named Joseph. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite. As this child grew older, his father gave him a colorful coat to show his favor. The brothers were jealous of Joseph and all the attention he received. They threw him in a pit and sold him to Midianite merchants when they got the chance. They showed the torn coat (done by their own hands) to their father and told him he had been attacked by ferocious animals.

Joseph became a slave in Egypt, was wrongfully accused of impurity toward his master’s wife and thrown in prison. Years later, he interpreted the Pharoah’s dreams (that had to do with years of plenty and years of famine) and became second in command next to Pharaoh himself. Now, it was his job to store and manage the food for the coming famine.

Sure enough the famine came, and Joseph stored much grain to share with anyone in need. His brothers showed up at his doorstep, hungry, not recognizing Joseph and asked for grain.

Now Joseph tested them to see if they were the same brothers that he had known from the past or had they changed for the good, grown and matured. He asked for his little brother Benjamin to be brought back with them next time, and he imprisoned one of the older brothers as collateral.

Back home, Father stood firm and said no. He would not lose another son. But the famine took its toll and finally, he relented.

That is when he says, “Everything is against me.”

It is one of my favorite verses, because I know the ending to the story. I know that Jacob is clueless to the fact that he is very close to seeing his son, a son he thought was dead.

Sometimes, I’m not aware of it, but I have the same thoughts. “Everything is against me,” I’ll say, in so many words.

It comes in the form of grumbles and complaints, negative thoughts in my mind, moods, anger and self-pity. Woe is me.

Sometimes, in those moments, I blame those around me when really there’s more going on than meets the eye. This is more than just a mood or a pile of negative thoughts. The enemy is at work to distract me from the something BIG that God is about to do.

For Jacob, in reality everything was FOR him. God was with him, and his favorite son had gone ahead of him to save the whole family from starvation.

Joseph said to his brothers, “Do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you; to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:5, 7

I marvel at Joseph, who years after the trauma of being separated from his family was able to say these words. Could I do the same?

“Everything is against me” is a phrase that is very human, yet not from God. They are normal thoughts, but I have to fight to change these thoughts to trust and belief in God’s loving kindness.

What if everything really was against me and it was not just my own perspective? I mean, Joseph had it tough for many years after he was sold to the merchants. How many lessons he must have learned. How many opportunities he must have had to build a trust in his Father God.

GOD IS FOR ME, no matter what circumstances are going on around me.

The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? Psalm 118:6

Joseph told his brothers that it wasn’t them who sent him to Egypt, but God. What a remarkable statement!

Father, life is hard and unfair at times. But I want to learn to get past the attitude of “everything is against me” and see something bigger than what is seen with my own eyes. Help me to trust you. Joseph had to have had faith in you. He had to have leaned on you. Help me to have this same faith. Help me to see the greater picture than just what’s in front of me. In Jesus name, Amen.