What do a Xerox toner cartridge, my daughter’s graduation pictures, credit card advertisements, and catalogs have in common?  They are all items that have been sent to me recently.  The first two I requested, the latter two came unsolicited, but each one was sent specifically to me.

Can you guess my response when each item arrived?  Of course, I was thrilled to finally see Kara’s portraits and thankful to have my copier back in working order.  The junk mail went straight in the trash.

What has been sent to you this week?  How did you respond?

How about spiritually?  What has God sent your way this week?  You may ask, “What kinds of things would He even consider sending?”  His Word provides quite a list, including but not limited to love, faithfulness, angels, words, messages, rain, wind, blessing, and thunder.  There are also more unsettling passages that refer to powerful delusions, wild animals, plagues, and pestilence with His return address.

God is undoubtedly a Sender, but His most cherished packages do not seem to be those listed above.  God loves to send people.

How about another quick quiz?

What do Food Lion, Barton College, and Cove Camp have in common?  They are places I have sent my children at one time or another.  What about you?  Have you ever sent anyone on an errand, off to war, or away to school or camp?  What was their response?

When I send my kids on errands I am either met with complaining or happy compliance.  When I sent my two oldest boys off to Barton College, they were both thrilled to be playing baseball.  The sending off to Cove Camp was met with some anxiety, but mostly joy.

Our lives revolve around constant coming and going.  The questions to ponder are who is sending us, where are we headed, and how are we responding?

John 20 records the appearance of Jesus among His disciples following His resurrection from the dead.  His words to them are extended from God to all believers, “Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).  So now the most important questions become where is God sending me and how does He plan to get me there?

Whenever something or someone is “sent” there is a path or a route that can be traced. The Bible contains multiple stories of God sending out His children.  The one we will examine in Genesis 45 contains five general characteristics of God’s path.  “God sent me,” Joseph said in verse 5.  What can we expect on one of God’s journeys?

God’s path is often long, winding, joyful, and painful.

^{GE 45:1}Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!"  So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.  ²And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it.

^{GE 45:3}Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?"

We don’t have time to reiterate the details of Joseph’s story, but in summary, his brothers sold him to slave traders who sold him to a man named Potiphar.  Joseph thrived in Potiphar’s household until Potiphar’s wife lied about him resulting in his imprisonment.  Joseph blessed many in the prison until he was finally promoted to Pharoah’s assistant after interpreting some of the leader’s dreams.  Joseph had many highs and lows throughout a very lengthy and often tedious journey, yet as he says in verses 5, 7, and 8, he knew God sent him.  (Read his story in Genesis 37, 39-50.)

Can you feel the myriad of emotions in these verses?  The depth of love he had for his brothers and father is palpable.  There was joy at being reunited with them, yet pain as well.

When God sends us anywhere He does not promise complete ease or comfort, but He guarantees we will not be alone.  “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20) was Jesus’ final pledge before He left the earth.  His presence is enough.

Parenthood is one of the finest examples of this principle.  Raising children provides some of the greatest joys and greatest heartaches in life, but it is God’s journey.  He sends us each precious child while equally sending us to them as their parents.  God looks for the lifetime commitment and the path for each child is unique.  Long, winding, joyful, and painful journeys – how are you responding when sent?

God’s path is full of surprises.

…But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

^{GE 45:4}Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me."  When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!

Can you imagine?  A brother you thought gone forever suddenly becomes a central player in your life again?  Not only that, he regards you with love and forgiveness.  Yes, the men were terrified, but the principle of surprise is clear as well.  God will do the unexpected in our lives.  Joseph was equally amazed when his family appeared initially.  Let us embrace those surprises and walk with God through them.

Corrie ten Boom was surprised when she was released from the Nazi concentration camp due to an administrative error.  Josh Hamilton is still surprised that he gets to play major league baseball after making such a mess of his life.  The United States is unpleasantly surprised by the economic problems that continue to plague us right now.  Sometimes the unexpected is fun, at other times it is frightening, but God’s path promises it, so be prepared!  Be prepared to trust Him, embrace the next adventure, and move forward.

God’s path is always redemptive.

⁵And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.  ⁶For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping.  ⁷But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

We may not understand for a very long time why God sent us to a certain place or allowed certain things, but His heart is for the redemption and deliverance of the world, and every path leads to that purpose one way or another.

How long did Noah labor on the ark?  How long did Abraham wait for Isaac’s birth?  How long did Isaiah walk through Israel as a prophet?  How long did Jesus walk the earth?  Timing and clarity are often our two primary hindrances in embracing God’s journeys, but if He sends us we must trust Him with those details, knowing the final result will always benefit His Kingdom.

It is important to know that it is not always so veiled.  Some missions are much shorter and seen for His purpose immediately.  Even on the long adventures He has ways of encouraging us periodically.  He does not try to make it unbearable, but we must be prepared to keep going no matter what.

My pastor shared recently about a woman who served in the church nursery for 40 years!  She saw children drawn to Jesus immediately, and others for whom it took much longer to embrace God’s love.  But her call never changed and her trust in God’s ability to redeem through it never wavered.

God’s path is perfect.

^{GE 45:8}"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.  He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

We must see it as such.  I’m sure Joseph questioned God throughout the process, but by this time he understood.  When you can’t see the perfection at the moment, trust Him for the perfection in the end.  The way is often marred with flaws because of our sin or battles with the enemy, but God’s part is whole, complete, and thoroughly right and good.

God’s path is continuous.

⁹Now hurry back to my father and say to him, `This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt.  Come down to me; don't delay.  ¹⁰You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.  ¹¹I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come.  Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.'

^{GE 45:12}"You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you.  ¹³Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen.  And bring my father down here quickly."

^{GE 45:14}Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping.  ¹⁵And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them.  Afterward his brothers talked with him.

^{GE 45:16}When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased.  ¹⁷Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, `Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, ¹⁸and bring your father and your families back to me.  I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.'

^{GE 45:19}"You are also directed to tell them, `Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come.  ²⁰Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.' "

^{GE 45:21}So the sons of Israel did this.  Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.  ²²To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.  ²³And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.  ²⁴Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!"

^{GE 45:25}So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.  ²⁶They told him, "Joseph is still alive!  In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt."  Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.  ²⁷But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.  ²⁸And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive.  I will go and see him before I die."

The plans go on.  There is always more.  Joseph and Pharoah send the brothers back.  Everyone becomes a little more comfortable with the surprises.  The surprises start again when they tell Jacob.  Jacob and his sons begin a whole new life.

For me personally, I see God sending me to new places physically and spiritually as my children go off to college, get married, and enter various vocations.  Each of those life changes seems to vary my daily experiences.  We are particularly challenged right now with Will’s job and the economy, but we know God has a place for us.  Right here for now, but perhaps tomorrow He will send us somewhere new.  Are we ready?  Are we willing?

God also needs His children available to be sent elsewhere in service to Him.  I receive letters regularly from one person or another with a fresh call to serve whether it’s in a foreign land or a city nearby.  Perhaps He wants to send us to a new ministry or new mission field, or new neighbor, or even a new country.  Can we shout with Isaiah, “Here am I.  Send me!”  (Isaiah 6:8).

What is God doing in your life today?  Where has He sent you?  Where is He sending you now?

Examine your journey.  Where are you headed each day?  Who sent you there?  God wants to be the One, Great Sender in our lives.  How will we respond?

GOD SENDS

1.       Study the following Bible characters, where God sent them, how they responded, and how you would respond in a similar situation.

2.       Study your own life and the places God has sent you, the people He has sent you to, and the calls He has anointed you for.  Spend time writing them out, examining the spiritual fruit from your various adventures, and obtaining a fresh understanding of His heart in each situation.

3.       Examine your life today.  Where is He sending you these days?  Document each day for a week or two.  Who did He put in your path?  Where were you led to go?  Any surprises come your way?  How do you see God as Sender working in your daily life?