Today is August 20.


The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.    
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from Genesis, chapter 45.  
  

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.  
16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 
  

This passage describes a man, Joseph forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery. Slavery led him to prison to die, but a divine turn of events led to his rise to power over Egypt. Joseph had become a high ranking official in Egypt. He had risen above his circumstances, and he could see God's hand moving. Things had worked out quite well for him, despite the challenges, and now he was in a situation where he could help his family. But in this moment, Joseph was confronted with the fact that he hadn't been able to fully forgive them for what they had done. Take a moment and consider what it would have felt like to be Joseph in that situation. What would he have felt?    
  
Think for a moment about a situation in your life where you have been hurt. It could have been years ago, something that happened in your childhood. Or maybe a more recent break in a relationship with a loved one. Or a friend. As you listen to the passage again, imagine this passage is about you and that other person. What feelings or emotions rise to the surface as you consider your own situation?  
 
As we close our time of prayer today, I wonder if you could take an area of unforgiveness in your life and lay it before God. Ask Him to help you understand what his purpose is for your pain, and how you can take a small step toward forgiveness. Could you ask God for grace to see how this is part of your larger redemption story? One that ends with more joy than the pain you feel now.

Music: God Has Been Good To Me - Vineyard Columbus - (YouTube)