Out of the Mire - Trusting God in the Middle of TrialsSample

A Repentant Heart

Many people believe that God only forgives those who are worthy of forgiveness... people who never did “big” sins like murder, rape, genocide, etc. For example, when I was young, I really believed God was mean. I thought He punished or destroyed sinful people all the time without a second thought.

As I got older, I realized that the Bible says we are all sinful.

There is no one righteous; no, not one. - Romans 3:10

We read a couple of days ago that God finally rescued Joseph from his pit of despair. Joseph was faithful and respectful of God. He didn’t commit any “big” sins. Plus, he was a victim of cruelty. It’s easy to understand why God would forgive or bless him abundantly. But what about Joseph’s brothers?

If you read more of Genesis, you’ll find out that Joseph’s brothers were adulterous, murderous, genocidal (yup!!), and incestuous. It’s hard to imagine that these guys could receive forgiveness!

Hold up. No matter what someone has done in their lives, they can receive God’s forgiveness if they have a repentant heart.

In today’s passages, notice how much the brothers have changed since the last time Joseph saw them! Twenty years prior, they were happy to sell Joseph into slavery. Now, they would risk becoming slaves themselves in order to protect their father’s new favorite son from slavery. They passed Joseph’s test! This shows that the brothers experienced repentance - a change of heart.

In the end, Joseph forgave his brothers, stating this famous verse:

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive, as is happening today. - Genesis 50:20

The brothers received forgiveness from God, even after everything they had done! God blessed them, restored them, and gave them descendants too numerous to count.

God is not quick to punish us. Rather, He is very patient when we ask for forgiveness. God brings us out of the mire and helps us with our problems, even when we cause them ourselves!