Have you ever had someone come against you in such a way that it almost destroyed you? What has been your response? Consider the story of Joseph. Because his brothers were jealous of him, they continually plotted against him, and even planned to kill him. However, they eventually sold him into slavery when he was around seventeen. He became a slave in Potiphar’s house, where he was falsely accused of wrongdoing and thrown into prison. His fellow cellmates, who had the potential to help him, forgot about him when they were released. Joseph did not deserve any of this, yet through it all, he remained faithful to God. He kept his heart in check and did not consider the bad hand he had been dealt, and he most certainly did not blame God for his fate.

Even though he had no idea why this was allowed to happen to him, God had a plan and was working to bring it to pass. Thirteen years after his brothers’ relentless scheme against him, he became second in command in Egypt, just under Pharaoh. It’s important to remember here that Joseph was not sitting in a palace with servants doing everything for him. He had to put everything in place for God’s plan to be carried out. He was overseer of all the food in the land for a fourteen-year period, and God blessed the works of his hands. With God’s wisdom, Joseph’s hard work saved a region from starvation, which included his beloved father and younger brother as well as his brothers who had caused him the most pain in life.

After his father’s death, his brothers thought Joseph would turn on them so they begged him not to take revenge on them. In our featured verse, we see Joseph’s gentle and forgiving heart with his reply. Had he stored up bitterness in heart toward them, his answer would have been very different. But notice, he took care of the very ones who tried to destroy him, and not only them, but their households as well.

What is your response when others come against you? Do you carry blame and bitterness in your heart? Do you plan and plot ways to get even, or do you release them to God and pray for their hearts to be turned toward Him, developing a longing to see them saved? Whenever you suffer distress and pain from the hands of another, consider Joseph’s forgiving heart, and ask yourself, “How can I walk free of unforgiveness and bitterness so that God may work through me to bless the works of my hands while in service to others?”

Querido Padre Celestial,

You, alone, are my faithful rock and my salvation. I praise You for keeping me safe and working out Your plan for me even when I am under attack. I ask that You remind me to keep my heart pure before You by not holding grudges or living in bitterness toward those who cause me pain. Today, Lord, I place them in Your hands. Help them to see the error of their ways and truly repent before You, so that they too can walk free from the schemes of the enemy. Lead them to You, Lord, that they may walk in Your blessings. I ask that You bless the works of my hands so that I may be a blessing to others, including those who have wronged me. I love and adore You, Father. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Search deep within the crevices of your heart while asking God to reveal all hidden grudges or bitterness toward others. For any hurt that comes to mind, release those who caused it into God’s hands and pray today’s prayer over them. Pray for them daily until you can think of them and truly feel a longing to see them saved. Allow your prayers to lead them to your Heavenly Father. Oh how you will be blessed when the Lord sees your forgiving and gentle heart.