Be Ready to Let God Use You

Genesis 37:21- 22  and 26  -   When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.  “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

….. Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 

The history of Jacob begins with the story of his favorite son Joseph. His love for the boy caused much dysfunction in his family… and to makes things worse…Joseph did not try to hide the dreams he had of how he might become the leader of the whole family. As soon as the opportunity arose to do away with Joseph...they plotted to kill him…but two brave brothers helped stop a premediated murder and Joseph was sold him into slavery instead.

Joseph’s story is well known ….his coat of many colors tops most Sunday school curriculums. His life story of struggle to success has been used to motivate many a broken …struggling Christian to not give up. But my spirit was also touched by these two brothers…that were used of God to channel Joseph exactly where he would need to go to begin the lengthy training to make him the leader that he finally became.

It is a reminder to me that God knows exactly what we need and when we need it.  God will use the people closest to us…and a perhaps a few strangers to weld a scenario that puts us exactly where we need to be. If we are the Joseph in this story…we need to trust God that even bad things can turn out good in the end.  But more importantly…if we are the two brothers that pleaded for his life…we need to be ready to act when God needs to use us.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I am your servant.  Forgive me for the time that I am not listening to the small still voice you send to make me a Rueben or a Judah. Help me to discern all the times that you need to use me to channel other servants to the places you need them to be.  Amen.