“For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house…God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis 41:51,52
One of the great, and unusual statements, made by the Apostle Paul, which has its application to each of our lives is found in his letter to the Philippian believers. He wrote: “…but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (3:13,14) Why would the great apostle put forth this statement concerning the past, present, and future? It is because of its application to every believer, determing if he or she will run the race well, fight the good fight, and overcome victoriously in this life. What then did the Apostle, even Joseph, mean when they both seemingly are speaking of the same things?
When the Lord Jesus gave what is called “the Sermon on The Mount,” he spoke of living in the immediate present. In speaking of the consideration of what might occur “tomorrow,” and the anxiety or fear that it might produce, He commanded: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought of the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matt. 6:34) Jesus gave this commandment in the context of “seeking first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.” (6:33) How can a believer in the present day, walk by faith in communion with God, believe Him for present daily bread, guidance, and grace for all things, and be dominated by what might occur tomorrow? He cannot. This is not to say that he is not to be wise and prepare for tomorrow. Even the farmer does this, as the seasons, weather, and time are very valid considerations and variables. But tomorrow is not to determine today in that the believer is called upon to live in the present moment, believing God for the advancement of HIs kingdom, and the doing of His will.
What are some factors that might be the cause of the believer looking back? For Joseph, it was certainly that terrible “loss” that he experienced when he was betrayed by his brothers, and sold as a slave into Egypt. The pain and injustice of such an act, which had massive effects and consequences in Joseph’s life, were weights that Joseph had to decide if he would bear them or not. Though he would not see his family for about fifteen years, his father thinking that he had been killed by wild beasts, which was the lie told him by his other sons, Joseph would of necessity need to learn to live a day at a time, and to deal with the past, even that which was legitimately good, for he loved his father, and his father loved him. How then did he deal with the past, to be free in the present moment to survive and live? It was first and foremost by the intervention and grace of God, who enabled him to see everything through the perspective of God, as being sovereign, and who never makes mistakes in the lives of those whom He loves, and chosen for a specific purpose. (Rom. 8:28) Joseph would write: “GOD hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.” It would be by God’s grace that Joseph would be able to surrender the entire matter of the injustice of it all, and the loss of his family, to God, believing that God was sovereign.
Secondly, Joseph learned that any success, or blessing, he had in Egypt, was by the grace, goodness, and faithfulness of God. He declared: “God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Joseph had been brought to the place in mind and heart, where he saw the sovereign hand of God in his life. He did not understand fully God’s purpose, but he did see God’s blessing in the present moment.
Dear Father, Make us fruit-filled today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.