His Place Alone

“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.’  So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this command before he died:  “Say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him.  His brothers came and fell down before him and said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’  But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:15-21

“Do not be afraid of them,
    for they cannot do evil,
    neither is it in them to do good.

There is none like you, O Lord;
    you are great, and your name is great in might.
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
    For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms
    there is none like you.” Jeremiah 10:5b-7

When we remove God from his rightful and established place, our vision of the way things work is distorted. We open the door to suspicion, fear, jealousy, and pride at our own importance or that of others here below. We begin to position ourselves in the trees to manipulate circumstances; He sees the glorious beyond.

There is only one God. He alone rules, with kings, kingdoms, and circumstances subject to Him. Fixing this truth as our permanent mindset and sure hope makes a huge difference in how we view what happens around us: Trouble? It comes from His hand to train us. Pain? It was shared by our crucified Savior. Uncertainty? It’s held by the Sovereign Alpha and Omega. Embattled? We’re shielded round about and defended by the omnipresent Advocate. (Psalm 3:3; Romans 8:31-34; Philippians 3:10; James 1:2-5; Revelation 1:8; 21:6)

In what situations do I try to maneuver my way into God’s place? ‘I know best, I have this, I don’t need Your help, I can figure this out’? Where are we trying to mete out revenge? ‘I deserve, I have every right, I’m entitled’? It’s His place alone to judge, yet we meddle in His affairs. Only when we yield to His Lordship do we experience the fruit of His redemptive intentions to save, heal, and impel spiritual growth.

The Lord is trustworthy to work all- even injustice and suffering- for our good. He alone makes all grace abound to us, supplies help in time of need, and exercises vengeance on those deserving. In the meantime, He guards our hearts and gives access to His throne, so we can rest at peace. (Romans 8:28; 12:19; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 4:16)

Good Father, keep me in my place as You reign in Yours. Help me relinquish my attempted hold on life to trust You in all Your magnificent purposes.