THE UNRECOGNIZED ENCOUNTER

By: Pastor Flávio Macieira - 2025 | Day 5 of the series "THE FAITHFUL DREAMER"

You know that feeling, don't you? You're just living your life, maybe walking down a grocery store aisle, and then it happens. You lock eyes with someone who represents a deeply painful chapter of your past. Your heart just drops. Your mind goes blank for a second, and a flood of memories you thought you had safely locked away comes crashing back. It's that jarring moment where the past invades your present, completely uninvited, and forces you to deal with it.

For Joseph, now the second most powerful man in Egypt, this wasn't just some awkward run-in. It was a full-blown parade of ghosts from his past. Ten of his own brothers—the very same men who threw him in a pit and sold him off like property—were now bowing to him, faces to the ground, desperate for food. They had no idea who he was. But Joseph... oh, Joseph knew exactly who they were.

That raw tension, magnified to a level we can barely fathom, is what the Word of God invites us into:

“Joseph was governor of all Egypt and the one responsible for selling grain to all the people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground. Joseph recognized them at once, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. ‘Where are you from?’ he demanded. ‘From the land of Canaan,’ they replied. ‘We have come to buy food.’ Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him.” Genesis 42:6-8 (NLT)

Just try to put yourself in his shoes for a minute. You're at the height of your power, and the very source of your deepest pain is kneeling at your feet. The storm inside Joseph must have been raging. He could have chosen revenge right then and there. One word from him, and it all would have been over. It would have been the kind of payback that, if we're being honest, most of us have dreamed about in our darkest moments. But Joseph doesn't operate from that place of hurt. He operates from a perspective that was forged in the darkness of a pit and the loneliness of a prison cell. He doesn't just see traitors. He's starting to see pieces of a much, much bigger divine puzzle.

His harshness isn't just payback; it's a test. A God-inspired test. He doesn't just want to rub their noses in their sin; he wants to know what's in their hearts. Have they changed? Is there any remorse in them? By forcing them to face the potential loss of another beloved brother, Benjamin, he's making them relive the pain and confront the guilt they've been carrying for two decades. Do you see what’s happening behind the scenes? God wasn't just using Joseph to save the world from starvation. He was using Joseph's power to orchestrate the redemption of an entire family. It's proof that God's path to healing often leads us through uncomfortable, even painful, valleys.

And here’s the truth this whole process uncovers: God is far more interested in our transformation than He is in our comfort. Their physical hunger drove the brothers to face their spiritual starvation. For Joseph, his power became a tool for restoration, not retaliation.

So, how do you and I face the ghosts that God, in His sovereignty, allows back into our lives? Joseph's story screams that these encounters are almost never an accident. They are divine invitations to see God's hand at work where we once only saw pain, and to trust that He is weaving even the darkest threads of our lives into a tapestry of grace.

What might a practical step of faith look like for you today?

Grab a journal and think about that past wound that still has a hold on you. Instead of replaying the injustice, write this question at the top of the page: "God, what is Your redemptive purpose here?" Genuinely ask the Holy Spirit to let you see it from His perspective. Lean into the process, looking for an open heart to understand how God might be using this to shape you.

To let this truth sink in even deeper, honestly ask yourself these questions:

• Joseph's brothers didn't recognize that their salvation was standing right in front of them in the person they had despised. Where in your life might you be missing God's hand at work through unexpected people or circumstances?

• It took a crisis to bring the brothers' buried guilt to the surface. How has God used a crisis in your own life to force you to deal with something you'd rather ignore?

• Joseph didn't act on impulse. He waited for God's timing and wisdom. How can you practice that same kind of patience in your difficult relationships, instead of trying to force a resolution?

Now, with a more open heart, let's take this to God.

Sovereign God, You are the Lord of history and the Master of the unseen. I'll be honest, when my past shows up, my first reaction is usually fear or the desire to strike back. Forgive me. Give me Joseph's eyes, so I can see beyond the offense and recognize Your sovereign hand at work, healing and redeeming. Give me the courage to face old wounds, not with bitterness, but with the faith that You are weaving a greater purpose. Teach me to be an agent of restoration. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God doesn't confront us with our past to punish us, but to heal us for the future He has planned.

Did this message speak to you? ✨

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