Gen 45:8   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 . 

       

Now these verses are just chosen randomly but it seems more than coincidence that in the previous thought we considered the subject of future goals in life, and now here is Joseph talking about how he's arrived where he is. Joseph never dreamed (well yes he did dream!) that he would end up second most powerful man in what we call the Middle East. He had the prophecy that he would be a ruler but he could never have foreseen ending up where he did. That's the trouble with the future; we can never be sure about it, even when we have received prophecy about it. We can never be sure about how big the fulfilment is going to be – and how we're going to get there. But that shouldn't stop us looking forward with anticipation to what the Lord is going to achieve through us in the days ahead, even if we're not sure what exactly it will be!

 

This verse reminds us that Joseph went through tough stuff to get where he was, tough because his brothers sold him into slavery and his master threw him into prison, yet he came to realise that behind it all was the hidden hand of God, using the evil intents of men to bring about salvation for His people, just like Jesus who “was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” (Acts 2:23). Trust Him – He's at work, even in the midst of nasty people!