Manasseh

Some names in the Bible carry more than an identity.

They carry a testimony.

When Joseph held his firstborn son in his arms, he gave him a remarkable name.

Joseph named his firstborn 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐡 and said, ‘𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝.’

(Genesis 41:51)

The name 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐡 comes from a Hebrew word meaning “𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭” or “𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐠𝐨.”

This doesn’t mean Joseph developed amnesia.

He never forgot the pit his brothers threw him into.

He never forgot being sold as a slave.

He never forgot the false accusation that landed him in prison.

He never forgot the years of waiting.

What God gave Joseph was something greater than forgetfulness.

He gave him healing. The pain no longer controlled him. The wounds no longer defined him.

The memories remained, but the bitterness did not.

𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡’𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭—𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 

That’s what Manasseh means. 

𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Perhaps you’ve been carrying your own “𝐄𝐠𝐲𝐩𝐭.”

A season of betrayal. A broken relationship. A dream that never came true. A prayer that seems unanswered.

A chapter of your life that still hurts whenever you remember it.

Joseph’s story reminds us that God is able to bring restoration after devastation.

He can turn prisons into palaces. He can transform tears into testimonies.

He can redeem years that seemed wasted.

Sometimes we’re so focused on asking God to remove our scars that we forget He is more interested in redeeming them.

𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦.

𝐇𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦.

And one day, when Joseph looked back, he realized that God’s faithfulness had become greater than his pain.

That is why he named his son 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐡.

Not because life had always been easy.

But because God had been faithful through it all.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 ‘𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐡’—𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.

by Gwen Gonhuran.