All of us today are under the hand of our Joseph. What we should do and where we should go is up to Him. How long it will be before we come back to Him depends on how much food He gives us. If He gives us food to last ten years, then we shall return after ten years. But He will not give us this much. Rather, He gives us a limited amount to force us to come back to Him sooner. Joseph knew that his brothers would return after a certain period of time. He knew how many people there were in his father's family and he knew how much food to give them. They were under Joseph's control. Hallelujah, we today are under the Lord's sovereign hand! Do not worry about the present or the future. You are not under your own control, but under the Lord's control. Do not trust in your donkeys, that is, in your degree or in your job. Your destiny is under the hand of the Lord Jesus, and your future is under His control. I would like to share with you the good news that the Lord is still lovingly and sovereignly caring for us. What He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do is all motivated by love. In love He is seeking to induce us to know Him through the various indicators He gives us. All that He has done are indicators to lead us to know Him. Do not remain preoccupied, setting your eyes on your money, your donkeys, or yourself. Look away to Jesus and set your eyes on Him. If you do this, you will see Him, recognize Him, and know Him.

I like this story of Joseph and his brothers because it portrays my situation in knowing the Lord. How stupid I have been! The Lord has always been good to me, but I have constantly been worried that I would be damaged or suffer loss. All that Joseph did to his brothers was motivated by love. It is the same with the Lord Jesus in relation to us. If we would consider our past before the Lord, our tears would begin to fall and we would say, "Lord, I realize that my past has been just like that of Joseph with his brothers. You have always been good to me, but I have not recognized Your love because I have been occupied by evil thoughts and by my own concerns. Lord, I had no concern for You, and I never focused my eyes or my attention upon You. Lord, forgive me and help me from now on to keep my eyes away from everything other than You. Lord, I don't care for anything, not even for the invitation. I care only for You and for being in Your presence. Lord, as long as I am here in Your presence, I am satisfied." This is the way to know the Lord.

If Joseph's brothers had been like this, with no preoccupations and no concerns for their money, their donkeys, or themselves, and if they had focused their eyes on Joseph, they would have seen certain features in his face which would have enabled them to recognize him. They also would have recognized him through what he had done for them. Hence, they would have said, "We should not forget that we sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt. Remember that his servants spoke of our God and our father's God. Also, we were seated at the table according to our birth. Moreover, consider the way this man treated Benjamin, and the affection in his voice when he asked about our father. When he spoke to Benjamin, he almost broke down and cried." How many indications there were to Joseph's brothers that this man was Joseph!

It is the same with us today in knowing the Lord. Do you think that the many good things that have happened to you have been accidental? No, they have all taken place with a purpose. But in the past we did not recognize what God was doing. May the Lord help us to know our Joseph. He has no evil thoughts toward us. Rather, His concern for us is a concern of love, and His intention is to induce us to know Him. The best thing is to know Him.

Even after Joseph's brothers had been dealt with so much, they still did not realize that they were meeting with Joseph. As we shall see in another message, their ignorance eventually forced Joseph to be patient no longer, but to reveal himself to them. My burden in this message is that we would be clear regarding the way to know the Lord. I can testify that many times the Lord has shown His love to me and has dealt with me in certain ways, yet I did not recognize Him or what He was doing. I was completely ignorant. But today we have a clear vision. Now we recognize Joseph and understand that everything He does is with the intention of helping us to know Him. May we all learn this lesson.