August 21, God is Ordering Your Steps

Today’s reading: Psalms 101-105

“He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them—Joseph, sold as a slave” - Psalm 105:16-17.

When it is said that God rules in the affairs of men, the story of Joseph is a classic example of that truth. In these verses, the psalmist gives his view of that historical event and God’s role in it. God created and used a famine to get people moving where He wanted them to be — specifically Joseph to Egypt, followed later by his family. God then sent Joseph, his father’s favorite, to Egypt. Joseph was not sent as an emissary, however, but as a slave, betrayed and sold by his brothers. Why would God do something that seems so difficult and harsh? Perhaps because there is no way Joseph or his family ever would have gone to Egypt without the “help” of some circumstances that guided their every step, even though they were not conscious of God’s guiding hand. Later, Joseph was able to summarize his life experience by saying to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). Can you trust God that He is ordering your steps to get you where He wants you to be, regardless of whether or not He has explained or you understand right now? Can you trust that God is using the circumstances in your life to prepare you for His purpose?