And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him.

Genesis 42:5-7, So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

Joseph, seeing the fulfillment of one of his dreams, had all the power at his disposal to swiftly take revenge upon his brothers, without any earthly consequences to himself. He accused them of being spies, and at the least he could have put them in prison and thrown away the key. They think that they are on a quest to find food; instead, they are about to find their missing brother, a test of their character and a refuge for the nation that is yet to be. How much more wonderful are the plans God has for us that He reveals a step at a time in ordinary circumstances?

We want to be faithful at each step that You reveal to us, to bring glory to Your name, O Lord.