38_Seeing the hand of God in everything Gen 45:1-11 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were imprisoned in Ravensbrück, a Nazi concentration camp infamous for its cruelty. Amidst unimaginable suffering, they encountered a particularly frustrating and repulsive problem: their barracks were infested with lice. Betsy, deeply grounded in faith, reminded Corrie of 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks.” She said, “Corrie, we must thank God even for these lice.” Corrie resisted. How could one possibly thank God for such an unpleasant situation? However, Betsy’s conviction didn’t waver. She believed that God’s purposes extended even to these tiny, bothersome creatures. As the days passed, Corrie and Betsy discovered something astonishing. The barracks guards avoided their quarters entirely because of the lice infestation. This gave the sisters unprecedented freedom to hold Bible studies, share the gospel, and encourage the women around them. Many came to know the Lord in those dark and desperate times. Corrie acknowledged the truth of Betsy’s words: even the lice were used by God to carry out his glorious plan. The same principle is illustrated by Joseph’s life. In Genesis 45, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, who had sold him into slavery. His words are deeply moving: