Forgive

Take Your Hurt to the Great Repurposer

Without forgiveness, there is no future of divine blessing in our lives. Without forgiveness, there is only an endless recycling of resentment, retaliation and alienation. Without forgiveness, our deepest wounds will never heal. “He who cannot forgive another breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.” (George Herbert)

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 50:19-21

But Joseph said to 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. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

The willingness to forgive is the most obvious of Joseph’s virtues, but given what his brothers had done, it is the hardest to relate to on a personal and practical level. How do you forgive those who were supposed to cherish, encourage and protect you, when instead, they betrayed you in the worst possible way? How do you forgive your abuser?

The key to Joseph’s forgiveness was an uncommon understanding and a radical commitment to the sovereignty of God—that God was in control of his life. He believed it was God who had allowed his brothers to sell him into slavery some two decades ago as a part of God’s plan to save their lives. He understood that it was God who had allowed the injustice of Potiphar’s wife as God’s way of arranging a meeting with the cupbearer in prison. He realized why God allowed the cupbearer to then forget about him, leaving him to rot in prison another two years: God’s timing wasn’t right.

Now keep in mind that God didn’t plan that for Joseph, but he planned for it. Big difference!

Joseph chose to interpret all the events of his life—even these incredibly hurtful events—as God’s perfect will for his life. He knew that if God allowed injustice or injury or inaction, it was for a greater purpose. Therefore, letting go of bitterness and offering forgiveness was the only wise thing to do.

That’s tough when we’ve been wounded. The last thing we want to do is forgive. But the only healing salve for the deep emotional wounds that get inflicted from time to time in our lives is forgiveness!

Now some people think forgiving is forgetting. It’s not! It’s precisely because of it, we can’t forget that forgiveness is needed. Some people think forgiveness minimizes the hurt. It doesn’t! It’s precisely because of the intensity of our pain that forgiveness is needed. Some think that forgiveness means forfeiting justice. Not true! It’s precisely, and perhaps most importantly, that because we ourselves deserve God’s judgment, we need to extend forgiveness.

That’s why Paul taught, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13) That’s why Jesus said, “You can’t get forgiveness from God without also forgiving others.” (Matthew 6:15, MSG) Gorge Herbert said, “He who cannot forgive another breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.”

You see, without forgiveness, there is no future of divine blessing in our lives. Without forgiveness, there is only an endless recycling of resentment, retaliation and alienation. Without forgiveness, our deepest wounds will never heal.

Harry Emerson Fosdick was right when he wrote that not forgiving someone is like “burning down your house to get rid of a rat.”

Maybe you have someone in your life that has hurt you deeply, and you have sworn to never forgive. Joseph would advise you to rethink that position. He would encourage you that with God’s help, you can take a step toward forgiveness, and with that step, take a giant leap toward a destiny of divine blessing.

Forgive! It allows what others meant for evil to be repurposed by God for your good.

Going Deeper: If only the truly forgiven are truly forgiving, then only the truly forgiving are truly forgiven. Who do you need to forgive today? Better get on it!

Useful Idiots

Reflect:
Genesis 45:5, NLT

“Don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.”

Useful idiots!  With all due respect, that’s what I would call Joseph’s brothers.

Twenty-two years after they had sold him into slavery, the brothers are now standing before Joseph, and they don’t even recognize him. They have been blinded by two decades of thinking he had long since died, their perspective jaded by the haunting fear, guilt and shame of what they had done. (Genesis 44:16) Finally, as Joseph’s identity is revealed, the brothers expect him to exact revenge, make them pay dearly, and do to them what they had done to him.

But Joseph was cut from a different cloth than these lousy brothers. His submission to the sovereignty of God allowed him to see the pain they had inflicted not merely through his own perspective alone, but through a perspective that saw God working through their evil actions. Joseph recognized that in all the circumstances of life, big and small, good and bad, God had been inexorably bringing the currents of his personal history to a providential conclusion.

In all of life’s circumstances, big and small, good and bad, God is inexorably bringing the currents of your personal history to a providential conclusion.

Joseph’s submission to the sovereignty of God is revealed three times as he discloses himself to his brothers with words to this effect: “Don’t beat yourself up; it was God, not you, who sent me here. You had a plan and God had a plan, and God’s plan trumped yours.  You were simply unwitting but useful instruments in his hands.” (Genesis 45:5,7,8). Joseph’s brothers might have been idiots for selling him into slavery twenty-two years before, but they were useful idiots in the hands of the Providential Ruler of all mankind.

The bottom line to Joseph’s story is that God is in control. He turns what is meant for evil to our good, extracts glory for himself even in the most impossible circumstances, and no matter what, always, always, always fulfills his sovereign purposes. His is in control!  He is the Sovereign God of the universe, the Providential Ruler over the affairs, big and small, of all mankind, the Incomparable One who works all things for his glory.

God turns what is meant for evil to your good, extracts glory for himself even in the most impossible circumstances, and no matter what, always, always, always fulfills his sovereign purposes. His is in control!

And here’s the kicker: He works all things not only for his own glory—but for your good! That’s right—for your good. Now why would the Sovereign, Providential, Incomparable One bother with little old you? Simply because you’ve surrendered your life to him; and when you did that, you, perhaps even unwittingly, signed up to be on his sovereign plan.

So here’s the deal: If you have a few idiots making your life difficult, just remember, in God’s hands they are useful idiots.

Prayer… Sovereign Lord, today I express my trust that you will use what was hurtful to me for your glory and my good. I will refuse to allow bitterness and unforgiveness to take root in my spirit. Rather, by faith I will choose to see you actively at work in me.