Genesis 50:19-21)  And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Joseph’s brothers orchestrated an evil plan to destroy him.  He was thrown into a pit and sold into slavery.  His life was destroyed by those who should have loved him the most.  But God raised him from the rubble of ruin to save an entire future nation.  Without God’s purpose operating in Joseph, there would be no Israel.  There would be no kingdom.  There would be no throne.  But God used Joseph to feed his brothers even when he had every reason to kill them.  He had the power to carry out wrath on those who deserved wrath.  But love motivated Joseph to be merciful.  He understood God put him into an exalted position so he could exercise grace, not retribution.  Because Joseph yielded to God’s right to rule, and God’s promise to reign, he was the instrument used to preserve the people of God.  In spite of all the power and prestige he held in Egypt, Joseph knew his rightful place before the Lord – “for am I in the place of God?”

I look in the mirror each morning and must ask that question.  Am I in the place of God?  God sits on His throne whether I yield or not.  But I have the potential to be used to His glory when I acknowledge that He is God and I am not.  When I try to steer my life according to my will, the eventual result is fear.  Am I in the place of God?  My problems become unsolvable.  Am I in the place of God?  My mistakes are always with me.  Am I in the place of God?  My life is uncertain.  I wake up afraid of what might be.  But God makes in possible through Jesus Christ that the situations threatening to drag me down, the hopeless times, the struggles to survive yet another devastating blow, can ultimately be used by God to bring glory to Himself.  Once I accept His eternal purpose – “Christ liveth in me,” I can relax as He speaks comfort from His Word to my heart.

Renewed Thought – I am not in the place of God.