Not getting along

Do you ever have family problems? Times when the family does not get along? One of the family must be right to the pain and suffering of the other?

If you have had children you are aware of the struggle to keep peace in sometimes non peaceful situations. If you have been married for any length of time you are aware of the difficulty to keep your relationship healthy with your wife or husband.

The story of Joseph in the Bible lets us into the world where struggle occur. Joseph was a young man who was favoured by his father. The other children in the family became jealous.

One day they decided to kill Joseph. Latter on they changed their minds and threw him into a pit. When a travelling caravaan was passing by to go to Egypt they sold him. Can you imagine how Joseph must of felt to watch his own family give him up to strangers and slave owners?

The years passed and young Joesph grew up in his captivity. He was falsely accused by his master's wife of rape. He was then thrown in jail to rot. He advanced in jail and soon became the leader there.

Two men needed their dreams interuppted, which Joseph did under the hand of the Lord. Evenually Pharoah had a dream he needed undertanding of and Joseph was sent for. With God giving the correct interuption through Joseph, Joseph became the highest leader under Pharoah.

When his brothers come one day to buy food for their families Joseph meets them. And although wickedness had occured to move Joseph to Eygpt he saw the wisdom and hand of the Lord in all the situation. He makes a remarkable statment at the end of Genesis.

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

The Principle: Sometimes things appear that they are falling apart and life is heading into emptyness and confusion but look with faith to the end. God is a great God. He knows how to bring beauty out of ashes. He knows how to take a bad situation and bring out its redeeming qualities. Trust Him even when it does not "appear" that the best is happening. You don't know how it will end but I can tell you God will be right there!