God’s provision
by Pastor Mark Gierus
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‘We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.’ ‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.’ Then he brought Simeon out to them (Genesis 43:22,23).
Read Genesis 43:16–34
As we continue our Joseph story, we find the brothers back in Egypt with their sacks of silver returned to them, along with more silver to buy grain. We are told that when Joseph sees his brother Benjamin with his other brothers, he asks his servants to prepare a feast. This instils fear in the brothers’ hearts, thinking the worst, perhaps out of the guilt that remains from the sale of Joseph as a slave years before.
The brothers quickly set about explaining what happened on their last trip. They stopped on the way back from Egypt and found the silver they had brought to buy grain was somehow back in their sacks. Joseph had arranged this, and the brothers were afraid. They said they didn’t know who put the silver in their sacks.
Joseph’s steward brings some comfort with encouraging words, but perhaps they remain unconvinced. ‘Peace be to you, for God, your God, has given you hidden treasure in your sacks, and your silver had been received for payment before.’ The servant brings out Simeon, the brother who had stayed in Egypt held by Joseph.
It is God who provided this. How much comfort do we take when we know it is our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? It is God who provides for us always in our time of need. Our God has the best timing for all things in his care. Our God loves us and always wants to build us up, encouraging us daily in his word. God cares and will never let you down; he loves you.
Heavenly Father, amid our uncertainty, you provide all we need. You love us and want the best for us always. May I go out each day knowing you give me more than I need so I can share what I have with others around me. Help me to share your love with others day by day. Amen.
Pastor Mark Gierus currently serves as a Lutheran pastor in Redland Bay, Alberton and Woongoolba in Queensland. He has three beautiful girls aged 8, 11 and 21, and he enjoys hiking with them, going to the beach, singing and jamming, looking after their pets as a family and going on road trips. Mark prays that God will continue to bless you as you grow in him and come to know him more and more through his life-giving eternal word.
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