Today I was reading in my bible, in Genesis, about Joseph and his brothers when they meet in Egypt. Joseph has been there for years, his brother's sold him to the Egyptians as a slave, out of jealousy. They think he is dead. Years later there is a famine everywhere, and everywhere but in Egypt people are starving and dying, and so Joseph's brothers have gone to Egypt to look for food. They don't recognize Joseph (who they think is dead) but he recognizes them. By now Joseph is the most important man in Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh. By all rights Joseph deserves to hate his brothers for what they have done to him, honestly I probably would. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, seperated from his family, his father. Not only would I most likely be beyond angry at my brothers, I would probably also be angry with God and wondering why in the world he let this happen to me. Joseph was set up perfectly to take revenge on his brothers. Instead, this is what he says:
Genesis 45: 4-5, 8
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
8 "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

I have read that passage many times, but still I am amazed at Joseph's trust in his sovreign God, and his ability to forgive his brothers. That passage has encouraged me to try to look at situations in my life where I don't understand what God is doing, and trust that he has a plan. And it has also encouraged me to forgive, and to believe that "what others may mean for evil, God means for good"(gen 50:20). God is in control. That comforts me. And although I do not always understand what the heck is going on, and sometimes it makes me mad that I don't understand or that certain things are happening, at the end of the day I know I have a loving, faithful, merciful and sovreign God in whom I trust.