Hope and Plot Twists

I love watching movies. I love it when the girl finds the guy of her dreams, when all odds are stacked against the one thing that must happen and then it works out, when the character that just can’t do it finds the strength to succeed, when good overcomes evil …I love the suddenly moments and the plot twists.

A big plot twist has just happened. The guilty brothers have been forgiven and are free. But Genesis doesn’t stop there. There is a bigger plot twist for Joseph’s family.

Many of you may know that I write books, so stories and how they are told are very important to me. I plan a book with an overall story line – maybe it is ‘good wins'(which is always a favourite!). But unless there are some bad happenings the good wins plot is pretty dull and weak. There is no good unless there is some bad for the good to shine bright and strong. The good winning cannot take place unless the details are set in motion. Hopefully, the little details that I add to my writing are hidden away enough that the plot isn’t given away too much and that the reader can have an ‘Ah ha!’ moment when they see the pieces coming together. I think GOD writes a bit like this too!

The plot twist in this story is based in HOPE. Joseph walked in the purposes of GOD and this brought hope to Egypt and the nations.

Joseph rightly states that GOD sent him ahead because he has spotted the details, but that may not be obvious to the casual reader. Surely the brothers played a part, along with Potiphar and his wife and then there was the cupbearer too … all true. But it was GOD who knew the overall story and set in place the details for the salvation of His people. There was always going to be hope because GOD is the author.

We can be encouraged by this! You have probably heard the proverb ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick,‘ and that is what was happening to Israel, his sons and their family before the famine. They had no hope. But now, having discovered that their dead brother is actually alive and is ‘father’ to Pharaoh they can live in the fulfillment of ‘but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.‘ Proverbs 13:12.

They are about to be given the best part of the land to settle in. Here they will put down roots, have plenty and flourish. They had put their hope in buying some grain from the mighty Egypt but GOD’s plan was much bigger. I can’t go on without just having a quick think about this challenge. Are we reducing our hope in GOD to something small and limiting what He can do because we aren’t aware of the details or feel like we have been let down before? You might want to check out Special Favour by Rach. GOD gives us the best, He did it before and as He doesn’t change will do so again.

When we put our faith in Jesus we are hoping. Our hope is focused on the forgiveness of our sin and debt to GOD because of Jesus’ death on the cross. Our hope is based in the understanding that GOD raised Jesus up and will do the same for us.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5

So here it is, the sunset on this amazing story of GOD knowing the big picture yet supplying the details. The … and they lived happily ever after.

But in fact the moment we put our hope in Jesus it is our sunrise moment. You see, without him we have no hope, are ultimately nothing and have nothing to live for. You may even be feeling like you have nothing now and there is nothing that you can bring to this … you know what, you would be right. We can bring nothing, we can only hope. He doesn’t choose us because of what we can bring. In order for us to have a bright hope for tomorrow we need to put our hope in His unfailing love for us.

¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalm 147:10-11

GOD sets up a new day for us. It will probably be one that will be full of plot twists but remember that there is hope because He is the author of the details and wants you to not just be happy with a bag of grain but to settle you in the best part of the land.

Katy 😉

Cornerstone by Hillsong – Video with lyrics