By Pastor Don Schatz
Something Is Wrong With This Picture
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud Link.
“And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.”
Genesis 42:8. English Standard Version
We took all the proper gear to go ice fishing in Northern Wisconsin. I had not been ice fishing in some 60 years. We were ready! We arrived at the cabin in crisp, 32-degree air. Everything was perfect. Except one thing. There was no ice. The lake was completely unfrozen. What I had pictured in my mind did not match reality. Something was wrong with the picture. No ice fishing. No fish fry.
In Genesis, Joseph was surprised to see his brothers who had sold him into slavery years before. They went to Egypt because there was a famine, and Egypt had food. Because of Joseph. The brothers did not recognize Joseph. He would certainly have looked very different then when they had seen him last.
Before, during and after this moment of encounter, God was at work. The Lord took a tragic situation and provided rescue from it, not only for Joseph but also for his entire family. The latter experienced the Lord’s providence years later.
Does reality ever conflict with your ‘picture?’ Do you struggle with that when it happens? How do we handle it when things are not what we expect? Sometimes it’s no big deal. Other times we experience disappointment, a sense of loss, even sadness. Depending on how much weight we have given our picture. We cannot always recognize God’s hand in things. We cannot always see that God has been at work looking out for us. We cannot always see that the Lord has transformed out picture into a reality far better for us than we could imagine.
Five days into 2024, do you have some ideas, hopes, expectations, pictures of what the year will bring for you? Entrust all of it to the Lord. Look forward to the picture, or motion picture, that he has in store. Recognize the Lord with you today. Be ready to recognize him every day of the year. He is for us. He is with us. He is guiding us.
Copyright, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
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