Scripture
‘At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?” ‘
Genesis 42:27-28 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.42.27-28
Observation
Joseph’s brothers were sent to Egypt to buy grain because of the famine. Through the divine providence of God not only did they get the required grain, but they also received their silver back with which they had purchased the grain. They were returning to their father with the supernatural provision of God in their bags, and yet they were terrified when they saw the silver.
Why were they terrified? Their fear stemmed from the long-buried deceit of their betrayal of Joseph, which had smoldered over the years into a deep-seated fear of the penalty for their actions. Instead of seeing the blessing, they saw a curse. Instead of provision, they saw only destruction. Instead of hope for the future, they saw only regret for the past.
They were unable to receive the blessing, because their hearts were not right. Farther down in these chapters, we see their father Jacob grappling with the same issue. He was so terrified at the possibility of losing Benjamin, that it nearly cost him the opportunity to have his son Joseph restored to him. Instead of trusting God with the safety of his family, he wanted to control the outcome himself.
Application
This verse makes me wonder–how many times have I looked with fear and apprehension at a situation, not realizing that God is trying His best to bless me? How many times have I allowed my heart to remain unhealthy, and not seen the supernatural provision that God was trying to bestow? The problem is that when my heart is unhealthy, I cannot tell the difference between blessing and cursing. The place I need to start, is at the feet of my Savior–whether in blessing or cursing. As my heart aligns with His the blessings will be revealed, and the curses broken.
Prayer
God, thank you for the reminder that the foundation of it all must be in keeping my heart aligned with yours. Help me to not get distracted by the fear of the situations I face, but instead focus on You. As I choose to submit my will to Yours and align my heart with Yours, I pray that you would reveal to me the blessings with which you are trying to bless me, protect me from the curses that the enemy would try to bring against me, and give me wisdom to know the difference between the two.