Page 25 - Living Light 90

Wednesday September 24 - God knows
Judah replied, “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God
has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves.”
Genesis 44:16
When Judah said, “God has uncovered your servants’ guilt”, he probably had more in mind than this cup theft! Many years before, when Joseph was a young man living at home, it was Judah who came up with the plan to sell his brother as a slave. True, this avoided murdering him, but Judah had been haunted for all those years because he saw the devastation Joseph’s presumed death had caused to his father.
Now Judah had tried to put his wicked deed right, by offering to make himself a guarantor to his father when he needed to take Benjamin to Egypt (Genesis 43:9). Benjamin was Joseph’s younger brother and so, after the loss of Joseph, was now his father’s favourite son. But although Judah had concealed the truth about Joseph from his father for many years, he now realised that he could not hide it from God.
Many of us know what it is like to carry deep guilt over decades. It might be over something everyone recognises as terrible – a lie which messed up someone else’s life, or even murder. It might be something which others would consider trivial yet still troubles us. The hard truth is that God knows, and he needs us to know that he knows! The good news is that God wants to help us, free us from the agony of our guilt and help us become happier people.
Lord Jesus, I am ready to confess to you the wrong things I have done. Please forgive me. Amen.
Thursday September 25 - Real justice
“Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.” Genesis 44:17
Keeping Benjamin (or threatening to do so), and releasing the other brothers to return home, was part of Joseph’s plan to discover whether the hearts of his brothers had changed. However, it does show Joseph’s heart too and reveals that he was a person of integrity and cared about just behaviour.
God wants those in leadership to be like Joseph – not in it for what they can get out of it, nor using the power they have to oppress others or pervert justice. When Elijah the prophet was faced with the injustice of King Ahab in seizing property that belonged to Naboth, he reprimanded him severely (1 Kings 21:20-22). God wants us to be honest, fair and just in everything we do and say. Equally, he wants us to stand up for those who are unfairly criticised, mistreated or unjustly accused.
Often, we may think we can do nothing to impact world leaders or even local politicians. But as Christians we can always pray for those in power, that God will change their attitudes and remind them that they are accountable to him. Equally, we can and should pray for those who are unjustly punished. If you are suffering in this way, then ask others to pray for you and those who ill-treat you, and let’s seek to follow Christ’s teaching to bless those who persecute us.
Lord Jesus, we pray for our leaders, that they may recognise that you are Lord of Lords and live accordingly. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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