When Joseph revealed his true identity to the utter shock of his brothers, he comforted them by saying, “It was not you who sent me here, BUT GOD” (Gen. 45:8).

Sure, his brothers had thrown Joseph into a pit and left him there to be sold as a slave (Gen. 37:23-24). And yes, he was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites and taken to Egypt (v. 28). Could we say that Joseph was having a “bad day?” Could we also say that what happened to Joseph was a form of human injustice? The answer to both of these questions is a definite YES!

But listen: Behind the curtains is the Lord orchestrating all events that occur in our lives. We only see what appears on the front side of the curtain. We do not see “But God” on the other side.

Folks, you are where you are by the grace of God. The terrible things that have happened to you, the Lord allowed it for a purpose much greater than you can ever imagine. If there is anything we learn from Joseph, it is this: “God orchestrates all events that happens to us in order to bring us to a greater place of opportunity and influence.” I cannot answer all the “WHY” questions. I cannot even begin to tell you what God is planning and forming in your life with all the rotten things that happened to you. But Joseph, who went through the mill said to his brothers, “You did not bring me here, BUT GOD!”

Here, let me see if I can explain the “WHY” issue a little more closely. My attempts will be feeble at best. But I will try to at least make the attempt even if it is a small one.

In Matthew 19, Jesus answered the issue of divorce and remarriage (vv. 3-9). The Pharisees approached Jesus and tested Him over the sensitive issue concerning divorce. Jesus ended His answer with these words, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (v. 6).

The Pharisees who believed that a man could divorce his wife over anything he found wrong with her, replied: “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate and divorce her?”

Jesus corrects them by answering, “Because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning is has not been this way” (v. 8).

The Pharisees incorrectly stated that Moses “commanded” divorce. Jesus corrects them and says, “No, Moses PERMITTED divorce to occur, now watch this: BECAUSE OF THE HARDNESS OF YOUR HEARTS. But such was not the way things were from the beginning.

Okay, now let me break this down.

Moses permitted divorce to occur whenever a man wanted to separate from his wife. He did not command it, but permitted it. Now watch this: By permitting divorce, did that make Moses responsible when a man divorced his wife? No, of course not. If Moses had commanded a man to divorce his wife, then Moses would bear responsibility for that person’s action. But since he only permits a man to do so, the man therefore has the will to choose for himself what he wants to do.

Now, let’s look at this from a wife’s perspective. A man wants to divorce his wife. So he does. The wife is now separated from her husband. She was against the divorce, but her husband was in favor. Moses permits a husband to make such a choice. Does that make Moses responsible for what had happened to the wife? No. Her husband is responsible because he was the one who divorced her. If Moses had commanded the husband to divorce his wife, then she would have a case against Moses. But since he only permitted it, due to the hardness of her husband’s heart, it is her husband who bears responsibility of choosing to separate from his wife, not Moses. Although Moses permitted this to occur, it was not suppose to be that way from the beginning.

Therefore, let’s apply this to God. God permits bad things to happen to us. I mean BAD THINGS! Why? Because of the hardness of man’s heart. That is, because of the determination of man to do evil against his fellow man.

Now, does that make God responsible for the evil and injustice done to me because God permitted it? No. If God had commanded the injustice and evil done to me, then “yes” God would be responsible. But since He only permits it due to the hardness of hearts that people are born with, God is not the one responsible, the person with the HARD HEART, determined to do what he wants regardless of what God thinks, HE IS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE, not God.

From the beginning, at the time of creation, it was not God’s intention for evil to occur. He knew it would and it did, but He did not command it to. Man became bad all by himself.

So you see my point? Although God behind the scenes permits injustices to occur, that does not make God the one responsible. This is why – watch this – Joseph was able to say to his brothers, “You did not send me here, but God” – He permitted it.

How can this be since it was his brothers who threw him into the pit? God permitted it for a much greater good to occur in the life of Joseph and in the lives of others. This involved pain, trials, prison, and loneliness in Joseph’s life. But God was showing Himself wise and powerful to take the hardness of man’s heart and redeem a potentially bad situation into something good for Joseph and others. So then, no matter how bad something appears, God has the power to redeem it for something good. Nothing evil or extremely rotten is outside of His awesome control. The Lord is a Master when it comes to taking the bad things that have happened to us and somehow changing things so that the bad with all of the pain and problems, come out beneficial.

Are you still confused? Good! Have I answered your “WHY” question? Probably not. But hopefully with a little faith on your part, you can say with confidence: “You (name that person or circumstance) did not bring me here, BUT GOD!”

Allow me to end with this true story:

In his Jan. 15 B.R.E.W. Monday newsletter, Kirk Byron Jones writes: Let's play a guessing game. I will give you a few of the courses and grades from a famous person's college transcript. Look at the grades, think, and then guess the person's identity. Here goes:

Introductory Biology: C
History of Civilization: C
Intermediate French: D
Language and Thinking: C

What's your guess? The person is Martin Luther King, Jr. In all fairness, one of the reasons for King's less than stellar grades was his age. He entered Morehouse College, headed by the legendary Benjamin E. Mays, in 1944, at the age of 15. Because of the wartime draft, the school's enrollment was down, and promising high school juniors were allowed to fill out the entering class. Even when placed into context, King's college grades are striking, given his historic achievements and contributions.

But that's the point -- he did go on to make historic achievements and contributions, in large part, because he kept learning and growing. In his sophomore year, King became a 'B' student. During his junior year, he earned his first 'A' in, you guessed it, Bible. King went on to finish strong at Morehouse, and excel academically as an 'A' student in two challenging graduate programs at Crozer Seminary and Boston University.

It was once said of another great African American man, Duke Ellington, that he "never settled for an earlier version of himself."

One of the best things you can do for yourself and others is to commit to growth, to commit to imagining and becoming your best. Don’t let anything bad that happens to you keep you from becoming God’s man or woman. God has given to you the choice and ability to rise above your circumstances. By God’s help, do so and you will be a positive model of encouragement for many others to follow.