Daily Guide 31st July 2022 | Scripture Union

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SCRIPTURE UNION DAILY GUIDE 31ST JULY 2022 DEVOTIONAL

Topic: All Things Work Together for good?

Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, I request that you help me to encounter you as I meditate on your word.

Question(s) for Reflection
• Is there any warning for me to heed?

It certainly was not easy for the nine brothers to leave Simeon behind bars as they went back to Canaan. What a shock it was when they realized that all their cash had been returned! Why do you think Joseph returned their silver? Did he need their money? Perhaps having recognized them as his brothers, he found it difficult to collect money from them for the food he was supplying them.

He rather considered provision for their needs his responsibility and paid for the grains (v.25) not defrauding the government as some of us are prone to do. See 45:11; 50:21. Instead of enjoying the blessings of God, however, the battle in their conscience increased. Every kind gesture made them guilty the more. For Jacob, the request for Benjamin to go to Egypt was too much. Put yourself in his shoes. Would you have easily agreed?

Jacob’s anxieties were very human and show the extent of the hurt he had suffered. Our sin often brings suffering to others. However, and unknown to either Jacob, Joseph or anyone else, Joseph’s demand was central to the fulfilment of God’s promises to Abraham, for it prepared the way for Jacob’s family to settle in Egypt where they increased into a great nation (Genesis 12:2).

Practice/Word Application
Reflection: The consequences of our actions can sometimes be harsh and undesirable. But if we let God work out his plans and purposes, He can turn those unpleasant experiences into opportunities of blessings. Make Romans 8:28 your prayer focus today.

• Any new insight or reinforcement of what you already know?

Closing Prayer
• Father, be merciful and compassionate on me, and please grant me the spirit of forgiveness.

Offer a prayer of faith in line with
Luke 11:9 ‐ 10; Isaiah 19‐21