In 1636, Roger Williams, who had been exiled from Massachusetts, went to what is now called Rhode Island and established its very first settlement. He called the settlement Providence, stating that “divine guidance has led me here.”
Providence is defined simply by Chuck Swindoll as “The belief that the events of our lives are not ruled by fate of chance, but by our sovereign God and loving Lord who works out his plan and purpose in the lives of his children.”
In the lives of Joseph’s family, we can see God at work to bring resolution to the unaddressed and unhealed issues of the past. Twenty five long years have passed since Joseph was pitched in the pit and sold off to the slave traders. Living the daily grind must have felt like fate, but God was at work. Like this biblical family, we may feel like we’re on the treadmill of life, going through the motions, totally subjected to the winds of fate. But the providence of God would indicate otherwise. This week I’m going to post some reflections from Genesis 42-43 on how this family turned the corner from regret to resolution.
