SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Strangers on the Way

Words of Faith Final

Strangers on the Way
Words of Faith 6-29-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><<><

Genesis 37
[12] Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, [13] and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them."
"Very well," he replied.
[14] So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, [15] a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
[16] He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?"
[17] "They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.' "
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. [18] But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
[19] "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. [20] "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."

The plot against Joseph unfolded in an interesting way. The naïve Joseph was walking right into a trap! Father Jacob played a simple yet unknowing role by sending Joseph on a journey alone to check on the brothers. He had no idea this was the last he would see of his precious son for many years.
More importantly, it would appear that God also played a role in cooperating with the plot. When Joseph got lost along the way, a "stranger" showed up to guide him... right into the path of danger!
It is stunning to see that the brothers, who recently avenged the assault against their sister, are now prepared to kill one of their own brothers. This change of heart tells us a great deal about the human condition. Without redemption, we humans are capable of things we might consider unthinkable. When we allow our jealousy or hatred to run unchecked, we may find ourselves contemplating sin that we thought was entirely beyond our grasp.
It is also remarkable to consider God's hand in this. Did God supply the "stranger" to guide Joseph into the hands of his betrayers? If not, God certainly could have provided another "stranger" to steer Joseph to safety. Surely Joseph could have been "warned in a dream" to return home by another way! But this was not the plan.
The only conclusion we can come to is that the sovereign Lord God was fully in charge of all of the circumstances of Joseph's life. God was not simply reacting to the villainous conspiracy of the brothers, putting out fires as they sprung up.
In truth, all these events were working toward a plan of physical salvation and redemption for the family of Jacob. No, God was not the author of evil in the brothers' hearts, but He was more than just vaguely aware of it and we will see that things intended to harm can be used for good in the hands of the Lord.
The sovereignty of God is always a difficult topic. We are sometimes tempted to be passive in response to the sovereignty of God. "After all, if God is in charge of everything, I will just take my hands off the wheel!" But this is not the call of God in our lives. We are called to journey with God. We are called to struggle and inquire, to seek and find.
Rather than be passive, we need to take hold of life events as they come knowing that we are always in the palm of God's hand. This is the approach we see in Joseph.
The truth is that nothing comes our way that is not part of the design. Nothing comes our way that God has not allowed. Nothing happens that God could not have prevented. Some events we are called to resist and avoid. Other events are unavoidable but will be used by Him.
As we travel in life, there will be strangers along the way. Only with God's help can we discern which stranger to listen to. Some strangers may even appear to guide us into harm's way, but God is still in charge. We must not forget the words of the Lord given to Jeremiah: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

O Sovereign Lord. I pray for Your guidance today. Help me to know who I should listen to. Give me discernment to know what voices I should follow. I trust my path and journey to You. I know You have a plan not to harm me but to give me hope and a future. In Jesus' name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© 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
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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.