“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. 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. … 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. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children … There I will provide for you … You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.'”
(Genesis 45:3-4, 9-10a, 11a, 13 ESV)
That must have been an awkward conversation when the brothers told their father the truth. Just imagine how it went: “Um, Dad, remember years ago when we brought you Joseph’s bloody clothes and told you some animal killed him? Well, actually, we sold him as a slave to some traders, and he wound up in Egypt. And now he’s the head of the whole country, Pharaoh’s right-hand man!”
It’s a wonder Jacob didn’t have a heart attack. And I can’t imagine what dinner was like that night. Was there shouting and screaming? Did everybody eat in silence, too embarrassed to look at each other?
I think I’d rather die than make that confession. Confession is hard. You worry: Will he be angry? Will he hate me? Will he think badly of me forever and ever after he finds out the truth?
So much depends on the person we’re confessing to. And this is why I say, “Thank God for God”—because the God we know is far more patient, loving, gentle, and merciful than any human being I’ve ever met. This is how He describes Himself to Moses: “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6b-7a).
And we see Him behave this way, don’t we? Because when human beings first disobeyed God and messed up our lives and the world He put us in, God did not give up on us. Instead He came Himself into our world, to be a human being too, one of us—our Savior Jesus. He lived among us and taught and healed and cared for people; and when the time came, He allowed Himself to be betrayed and tortured and put to death on a cross, though He had done no wrong at all. He took all of our sin and evil away from us, and destroyed it at that cross. And then He rose from the dead three days later, never to die again. Now He promises to share that same everlasting life with any of us who will take His gift-yes, and joy, peace, love, and a place in God’s family.
This is the God we confess our sins to, knowing that He will always forgive us and take us back in love—no matter what.
We Pray: Dear Lord, help me to trust You and tell You what lies heavy on my heart. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on February 18, 2025
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever trusted someone enough to confess something?
2. Why did you trust that person?
3. If there is something troubling you right now, take a private moment to talk with God about it, knowing He will never reject you or turn away from you.