GLOBAL EVENTS ARRANGEDFOR AN INDIVIDUAL

Now the famine was heavy in the land. Genesis 43:1

God first revealed His plan for a worldwide famine (Gen. 41:57) to a pagan king in a dream (Gen. 41:1ff). Of course, it wasn’t until God enabled Joseph to interpret the dream, that Pharaoh understood what God was communicating to him.

Because the famine was not just located in Egypt, Jacob and his sons were impacted by it as well. As a result, Jacob directed his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain so that they would not die (Gen. 42:2).  God was arranging all of this, in part, to reunite Joseph with his family. As you read though Genesis 41-45, God’s sovereign plan shines through. Those chapters provide a vivid illustration of Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Those ‘all things’ are sometimes world events that impact millions of people. It truly boggles the mind how God arranged all of those huge events for a very specific purpose for a very specific individual.

We must remember that God is arranging all of these things for all of His children simultaneously. The famine wasn’t just for Joseph, or Jacob, or Reuben, or Simeon. It was for the entire family, and the thousands of other people that were affected by it. The same is true for any event in our lives. On the one hand, the event is not just for us; but on the other hand, it is. God is arranging worldwide events for a very specific purpose in your life; and in the lives of your brothers and sisters around the world. Our response to this truth should be adoration, praise and trust.

Joshua Steiner