On the Way to Wonder

Psalm 46 opens “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”  Verse 10 continues, “He (God) says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

         After a week of reflecting on Joseph, Psalm 46, written years later by the sons of Korah after David defeated some enemies, seems a nice end of week “song.”  In fact Martin Luther was inspired by this psalm when he wrote “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”  The other favorite hymn based on these verses is “Be Still My Soul” by German born Katherine von Schlegel (1752), translated a hundred years later into English by Jane Borthwick and set to the tune of Finlandia.

Lyrics

1. 1. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;

With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend

Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Joseph was the “after thought” baby, born to Jacob by his second wife after having ten sons by his first wife and two maids.  Joseph was favored by father but resented by half brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt.  Finding stillness in the midst of trials is hard. 

• 2. Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as he has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Joseph must have heard the tales of God’s faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and those childhood stories gave strength to his convictions as he faced injustice.

• 3. Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on

When we shall be forever with the Lord,

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Joseph chose to forgive and reconcile even though he had the power and ability to revenge himself when his brothers appeared in Egypt years later.  We do not always realize justice but we believe it will come.

Genesis 45:1-46:7.  This week we have been following the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob and the great grandson of Abraham.  The villain in our epic story has used jealousy, hatred, and betrayal to divide the descendants of Abraham and to defeat the promise of blessing from our hero, God, to bless all nations through them. Joseph, sold by his half brothers into slavery in Egypt has risen to high position in charge of food during this famine and the brothers must bargain with him to survive.  He recognizes the brothers but they do not recognize him.  He demands they return home and bring back Joseph’s younger brother as proof of their story and to show they are not spies.  Joseph has the upper hand and all the power.  His birth family is starving and he has the power to reap revenge.  But he hesitates, giving himself time to process this turn of events and to grieve his losses.  When the brothers return, he invites them for a meal and finally reveals himself.

         “I am Joseph!  Is my father still living?”  Rather than revenge, Joseph first states his core identity, Joseph, son of Jacob.  All the labels that life has put on him: steward of Potiphar, criminal, dreamer, favorite son of Jacob all carry stories he is able to lignor and to simply say, “I am Joseph.”  When we are put to the test and have to sort out our identities do we flash our credentials from schools and degrees and accomplishments and relationships or are we able to stand secure in our birth identity as a child of God?

         Secondly we see that under the anger and grief is a deep longing to be reunited with the father who loved him so much.  Many of us know the pain of a wayward child and the agony of the years of silence that separations and differences can bring about.  We long to hear that child ask for us.  Sometimes that happens but not always.  Some of us are living in the midst of stories that have not finished and the reunion scene may still be coming.  Some of us are denied that reconciliation by the evils of life – suicide, addictions, poverty, and ignorance.  We never meet the child born out of wedlock or the child that ran away.  Joseph’s story shares of reunited love for his father that enabled him to forgive his brother.

         Most importantly, Joseph gains a larger picture of life through this experience. “It was not you who sent me here, but God.”  Sometimes the pain is so intense we cannot see the hand of God directing events till later.  But Joseph is able to look back and see how God has led through all the rough times to now.  That does not mean there will be no more troubles or family squabbles but it does mean Joseph can forgive and reconciliation with the brothers and with his father takes place.  The truth comes out.  The man of power is Joseph, Joseph has the internal power to forgive, and Joseph still loves his father.

         So what is our take away?  Perhaps there are broken relationships that you could make the first move to mend.  Perhaps there is a need to ask yourself where God is in the relationship you are grieving about.  Silence and avoidance, not seeing each other does not seem to resolve things.  Abusive relationships may need to be dealt with on your knees with God.  In any case, God does not abandon us in our difficult family arguments and our painful life experiences.  He is always working to bring about good, even if we cannot see it today.  Peace as you wait for him to resolve your conflict and bring reconciliation.

Genesis 43-44.  When we have been wronged and betrayed and relationships broken, it is hard to deal with the resulting anger and bitterness.  Joseph, great grandson of Abraham, was hated as a child by his half brothers and then sold into slavery in Egypt as a youth by them.  Blended families like this are common in our world today and the resulting struggles are not easily forgotten or forgiven.  Then Joseph is misrepresented by the wife of his owner, a powerful man in Egypt, and sent to prison.  In prison his gift for interpreting dreams helps others who forget him.  Jealousy, betrayal, lies and invisibility are hard realities to deal with.

         Joseph rises to power in Egypt and then the day comes when he has to face his past.  His half brothers arrive in Egypt looking to buy food.  Joseph has gone from nomad youth to being assimilated into Egypt and in a position of power over food distribution.  Joseph recognizes the half brothers but they do not recognize him.  Genesis goes into quite a bit of detail on how Joseph works through his anger.

         First, Joseph concocts a plan to buy himself time to process the situation.  He could get even and had them thrown in jail but instead Joseph has his “discerning cup” hidden in their grain bags so that they appear like thieves.  He demands they bring the 12^th brother, Joseph’s blood brother, Benjamin, back on the next trip and holds one half brother in prison.  Not doing a knee-jerk response gives Joseph time to process this turn of events.  Getting distance can be done mentally by counting to ten and practicing controlled breathing.  I prefer driving to “my quiet spot” by the lake and having a long talk with God until I calm down and am in a better frame of mind.  Alcohol and drugs are ways to numb the mind in the face of intense emotions but they do not give space for reasoning and only numb momentarily.  Hurting myself by overeating, resolves nothing.  How do you give yourself space and time to think through a disturbing event? 

         The second thing that happens is on the second return trip, Joseph, torn by his emotions goes into his private room and weeps.  Underneath the anger and hurt is love!  I learned in a parenting class as a young mother that an angry child is covering sadness and a sad child is covering anger.  Joseph releases his anger through crying.  Joseph cried but others scream while some pound a pillow.  I prefer swimming or hitting a tennis ball against a wall as hard as I can.  Anything to release the bottled up energy and thoughts of violence that anger brews.  What is under the anger?

         Anger is a human emotion.  It energizes us in emergencies and it leads to rectification of social injustice.  Jesus got angry.  Anger stewed and horded, though, seems to ferment and expand until a small incident becomes a major offense.  Joseph had legitimate excuses to be angry.  But how to use that energy is the challenge. 

         Is there some situation confronting you today that you need to figure out how to get perspective on?  Creating mental distance to process and grieving the insult combined with prayer is always wise and a better choice than lashing out at self or the other.  Blessings as you wrestle with wrongs!

Genesis 42.  The Pharaoh of Egypt had two dreams that disturbed him and suddenly the cupbearer, the man in prison who was helped by Joseph, remembers.  Joseph interprets the dreams and shoots to #2, our modern day Minister of Agriculture.  Joseph understands Pharoah’s dreams to foretell seven years of plenty and seven years of severe famine. He establishes a plan of saving the plenty for the time of want.  The famine spreads and touches Joseph’s birth family.  It would appear that God is working behind the scenes to bring family reconciliation.

         The ten brothers come to Egypt to buy food but do not recognize Joseph.  We have an interesting cast of characters.  Father Jacob is back at home with his family but still grieves Joseph.  The brothers, seemingly prosperous herdsmen, arrive to buy food but the skeleton in their closet is about to be revealed.  Meanwhile Joseph seemingly has it all now, power, position, a wife and two sons but he misses his birth family.  Appearances can be deceiving.

Trying to keep our “mask” on when there is turmoil in our hearts is very exhausting.  Tomorrow the masks will fall and the story be put right but today we ponder our resources in the midst of the struggle of appearances.  The brothers know their “story” and their guilt and provide a support community.  Grief support groups or groups like AA or WW provide encouragement and support for people caught in addictions.  Weekly in church the pastor gives the absolution, “By the power invested in me by the church I declare unto you the entire forgiveness of all your sins.”  Confession and coming clean is good for the soul.  Psalms of lament give us words to express our anger and frustration when life seems to be going wrong.  Prayer, while maybe not talking to someone seen, gives voice to the internal struggle.  Perhaps there is something you are holding close and not wanting others to see about you but finding help to carry the load is always good.  “Bridge over troubled water,” expresses those feelings.  Blessings as you sort it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrcwRt6J32o

Genesis 39-41.  Joseph, great-grandson of Abraham, is sold into slavery by jealous half brothers and carried to Egypt where Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard, buys him.  He prospered even though a foreigner but caught the eye of Potiphar’s wife.  When he refused to sleep with her, he was accused of molesting her and sent to prison.  Sometimes doing what is right does not mean a person will be found innocent.  In prison he accurately interprets the dreams of two prisoners.  One is hanged but the other is released and forgets Joseph.  His own dreams do not seem to be ever going to come tr

         I suspect this last year as people have lost jobs, not been able to pay rent, and had to supervise children studying at home, many have doubted that God was in control or had a good plan for their lives. Hard times test us physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.  Joseph, who had experienced all the perks of being the favorite child and the gifted child, now has to dig inside himself and decide what he is made of.  It would seem that during these trials, he remembered those stories he heard from his father and grandfather about God’s faithfulness and about principle’s of integrity.  The Bible encourages us to raise a child in the way he should go and when he is old he won’t depart from it.  When Potiphar’s wife solicits Joseph and invites him to bed, Joseph knows within himself that it is wrong.  Joseph responds to the temptation, “My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.  How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”  Joseph knows he is ultimately answering to God.  Joseph is transforming from that cocky youth into a man of integrity as the difficult times help him sort out his values and priorities.

         We see that in prison, Joseph again rises to a position of responsibility even as a criminal.  It reminds me of Invictus and the conviction that jail can rob me of freedom but it cannot rob me of my “invincible soul.”  Joseph could have whined, “Unfair.”  He could have lashed out and taken it out on a weaker prisoner.  He could have caved in to depression and committed suicide.  He could have blamed God.  But he did none of these.  He pressed on centering his life on the truth of God as he knew it and trusting that our epic hero, God, has a plan that is being worked out.

         So how do we respond when bad turns to worse?  When the chips are down, where do we turn?  I love the Lamaz advice to relax and focus your mind on a favorite memory or Bible verse as the pain of the contractions increases because the mind can only focus on one thing.  I love James 1:2-5,  

         “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face     trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith         produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you        may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you    lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all          without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Whatever trial you are facing today, you are not alone.  God is there even when it is so dark you cannot see him!

Genesis 37 lays the seeds of family tensions that draw Joseph, son of Jacob, great grandson of Abraham, into the spotlight for the next major section of our epic story.  Jacob, the younger twin, swindled his brother Esau out of birthright and blessing from aging Isaac, and so had to flee to his uncle who out-swindled him.  I think we could make a TV series out of this family’s skeletons.  Jacob awoke after the wedding to find himself married to Leah, the older sister, and had to work for Rachel, his true love another seven years.  Infertility is a significant factor in this family line.  Rachel while most loved, does not conceive, until Jacob has already sired ten sons by Leah, her maid, and Rachel’s maid.  Finally Rachel becomes pregnant and bears Joseph.  The plot thickens as this youngster is obviously favored by the father who gives him a colored coat. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat” is that story.  When parents play favorites, trouble brews as seen in the lives of Jacob and Esau.  Not only does his father favor Joseph but Joseph is also gifted with the ability to discern dreams and Joseph proudly flaunts dreams of superiority in front of his brothers.  His dreams foretell that he will rule over his brothers.  I suspect he was a bit arrogant in sharing that dream!  Favoritism and arrogance breed jealousy and hate. 

         This is a common family theme.  It seems there is always the sibling that is perceived as “the favorite.”  One sibling often functions as the “scapegoat.”  Often there is “the clown.”  Families can be pretty filled with undercurrents of social tension even as there are in all social groups.  We are so human.  Joseph’s brothers decide to act on this stew of hatred and grab Joseph and sell him into slavery to a caravan headed to Egypt.  Has our hero, God, been defeated by the seeds of doubt, hatred, jealousy and violence sown by our villain, Satan?  In fact, we will see this week how God, even in our darkest hours, is working with our lives to bring about the good he desires for us.  He is getting Joseph in place to build a nation.

         It is so easy in families as we struggle to keep our heads above water and as the needs of one child sometimes consume our energy, to forget to affirm the quiet child, the responsible child, the not so gifted child.  Perhaps list today the people in your life who are significant to you and next to their name list the personality trait you appreciate about them.  Giving a word of affirmation whether written or spoken or texted is always appreciated.  Praying for that quality to be developed in that person’s life is good too.  Plus we must never give up on the one who seems “lost” as God is able to work in ways we could not even imagine.  “Thank you” is such a powerful phrase!

The Bridge to Egypt

Genesis 37 lays the seeds of family tensions that draw Joseph, son of Jacob, great grandson of Abraham, into the spotlight for the next major section of our epic story.  Jacob, the younger twin, swindled his brother Esau out of birthright and blessing from aging Isaac, and so had to flee to his uncle who out-swindled him.  I think we could make a TV series out of this family’s skeletons.  Jacob awoke after the wedding to find himself married to Leah, the older sister, and had to work for Rachel, his true love another seven years.  Infertility is a significant factor in this family line.  Rachel while most loved, does not conceive, until Jacob has already sired ten sons by Leah, her maid, and Rachel’s maid.  Finally Rachel becomes pregnant and bears Joseph.  The plot thickens as this youngster is obviously favored by the father who gives him a colored coat. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat” is that story.  When parents play favorites, trouble brews as seen in the lives of Jacob and Esau.  Not only does his father favor Joseph but Joseph is also gifted with the ability to discern dreams and Joseph proudly flaunts dreams of superiority in front of his brothers.  His dreams foretell that he will rule over his brothers.  I suspect he was a bit arrogant in sharing that dream!  Favoritism and arrogance breed jealousy and hate. 

         This is a common family theme.  It seems there is always the sibling that is perceived as “the favorite.”  One sibling often functions as the “scapegoat.”  Often there is “the clown.”  Families can be pretty filled with undercurrents of social tension even as there are in all social groups.  We are so human.  Joseph’s brothers decide to act on this stew of hatred and grab Joseph and sell him into slavery to a caravan headed to Egypt.  Has our hero, God, been defeated by the seeds of doubt, hatred, jealousy and violence sown by our villain, Satan?  In fact, we will see this week how God, even in our darkest hours, is working with our lives to bring about the good he desires for us.  He is getting Joseph in place to build a nation.

         It is so easy in families as we struggle to keep our heads above water and as the needs of one child sometimes consume our energy, to forget to affirm the quiet child, the responsible child, the not so gifted child.  Perhaps list today the people in your life who are significant to you and next to their name list the personality trait you appreciate about them.  Giving a word of affirmation whether written or spoken or texted is always appreciated.  Praying for that quality to be developed in that person’s life is good too.  Plus we must never give up on the one who seems “lost” as God is able to work in ways we could not even imagine.  “Thank you” is such a powerful phrase!

Genesis 32, 33 Jacob, Abraham’s grandson by Isaac and the twin brother of Esau fled for his life yesterday, going to his mother’s brother.  He fell in love with Rachael, the uncle’s daughter, but wakes up on the morning after the wedding to discover he has been married to her older sister Leah.  He had to work seven more years to marry Rachael!  Between Leah, Rachael and their maids, Jacob sires twelve sons but he is living away from his birth family – his mother and father and twin.  And he is living under an uncle who has made his life difficult.  Jacob, that means “grabber” as he was born holding his brother’s heel, has been out-grabbed by his uncle and he realizes it is time to return home and face his brother.

         Jacob has amassed considerable wealth in herds and concocts a plan to appease his brother as he approaches the home turf.  Scouts spy the brother coming with a large group of men.  Jacob divides his animals and wives and sends small groups of animals ahead as presents, hoping to make peace with Esau.  That night he lags behind and wrestles with an angel who dislocates his hip and changes his name to Israel, “because he has struggled with God and with humans and has overcome.”

         Esau, unbeknownst to Jacob, has also prospered through the years and greatly mellowed.  He is ready to forgive and reconcile.  He genuinely embraces Jacob and welcomes him back.  This story works as both twins are blessed with wealth and family and need not be jealous of each other any longer.  Reconciliation is not easy.

         Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.  A father has two sons.  The younger one claims his inheritance early and leaves.  In a foreign country he squanders it and decides to return to the father who welcomes him with open arms.  Jacob was the younger twin.  In the parable the older brother is not as generous as Esau but is bitter that no party has been thrown for him.  The father, who represents God, reaches out to that son reminding him of his welcome and wealth in the father’s home.

         Perhaps there is someone with whom you have been at odds.  Distance and silence has only compounded the animosity.  Could this be the time to reconcile?  Forgiveness is basic.  Bitterness divides.  Looking at the blessings God has given in the “separated years” helps to start the process.  Struggling with God and with humans helps produce reconciliation.  Perhaps now is the time to take that first step.  Blessings.