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Sacred Conversations

Words of Faith Final

Sacred Conversations
Words of Faith 8-4-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 45
[8] "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. [9] Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. [10] You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. [11] I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise, you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.'
[12] "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. [13] Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly."
[14] Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. [15] And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

The story of Joseph has all the elements of a powerful drama-- Jealousy, hatred, betrayal, and now a dramatic reconciliation. The reunion of Joseph with his brothers was a soggy one. The text says that Joseph kissed his brothers, wept over them, and then they talked. One cannot help but wonder what that conversation was like.
It is often pointed out that men do not talk very much in our modern culture. This is not really true. Bring up sports, cars, or hunting, and an animated conversation will usually ensue. The truth is that men have always talked. In Middle Eastern culture, one need only stop at a street corner to hear men talking passionately about politics and current events. Everyone has an opinion. Men may keep some emotional distance through the topics they pursue, but men talk.
So what did Joseph and his brothers talk about upon their reunion? We don't know for sure, but it probably was not gladiators or chariots. They probably caught up on family history. The brothers may have been amazed to hear the exploits of Joseph. They may not have talked much about their feelings, but at some level, they must have rediscovered that they were family. Perhaps they sensed that the old adage "blood is thicker than water" is very true.
We can't help but wonder. If this sort of conversation had occurred around a fire 20 years earlier, perhaps a great deal of pain might have been avoided! If only the brothers had listened to the dreams of young Joseph and learned to treasure him, maybe the agony they put upon their father and themselves would never have occurred.
But would the Lord have blessed the family in another way through Joseph? This we cannot know. We can only trust that it was the sovereign Lord God who sent Joseph to Egypt by whatever means, and the purpose of God was now being fulfilled.
It is remarkable to look at this family as it was restored and wonder at the power of simple conversation. Communication around meals and at the fireside can be a powerful preventative of some terrible things. Simple expressions of love and affection can build strong bonds.
How are the conversations of your life going? Are you conversing with your family about the really important things? Not just the sort of griping that happens on every street corner around the world, but really talking about how important we are to one another? Are you talking within your church family in supportive and constructive ways? Are you valuing the "ties that bind," ties of the heart and Spirit? These are sacred conversations that the Lord uses.

Father, open up the sacred conversations in my life. Help me to express the really important things. Help me to build the bonds that will truly last. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.