The Trust Test

Saturday, February 5th, 2011

Today's Passage: Genesis 42
Memory Verse(s):Proverbs 3:5-7

In 1994, my sophomore year in college, my father was killed during the civil war in my native country, Liberia.  I was here in the states at the time, and so did not get the opportunity to funeralize my father.  My family called me almost a month after the incident, and told me that he was hastily buried in a mass grave with two others who had also been murdered that day.  What made the situation even more heartbreaking was that the killer's sister had sought refuge in our home, and my parents had taken her in.

Had this young man known that?  I wanted to know.  The reply was yes, but because he was heavy into drugs, he probably wasn't in the frame of mind to identify my dad as someone he knew.  Not long after this incident, one of my sisters became the first lady of Liberia.  This meant she would now have a multitude of resources at her disposal to find this person and take revenge upon him without any danger of retaliation.  But because my father taught us to always do good to those who hurt us, my sister never acted on that thought.

But, as we all probably would, there have been moments when I wondered how I would act around that young man if I ever saw him in person.  What would I say?  How would I carry myself?  Would I remember any of the godly counsel by which my father lived his life?  I may never know, but today's passage gives me some clue as to what it might feel like.  Here was Joseph, who wasn't necessarily killed, but was left for dead by his own flesh and blood.  If you ask me, he was pretty lenient with them when he finally laid eyes on them. But this was a test of how deeply he trusted God, and he seemed to pass with flying colors.

Maybe it was the dream that Joseph had had many years prior to this event.  The very thing that had caused his brothers to hate him so much probably kept him focused on God's faithfulness, and gave him the strength to show them mercy. I have learned that our perspective in times of pain cannot be based on human emotion or reasoning. Rather, with every ounce of strength in us, we must lean on God's understanding and depend on Him to somehow get the glory out of that situation. It matters how well we pass the trust test, or else it will come around again. May we get it right the first time.

Prayer: Father, there really is no type of pain that You haven't already endured because of Your Son Jesus. Help me lean completely on You and not on my understanding when it matters the most. I want every bit of my life to please You -- even the times when I may not understand. I trust and love You through it all. In Jesus' Name, Amen.