God has purpose and a plan for each of our lives. It is a journey to seek the purpose and plan God has for our lives. It is full of twists and turns. There are progress and setbacks. We face challenges and triumphs.
The beauty of our God is He is the Master Planner. If we know who He is, we know He will not mismanage our lives. We yield, surrender and obey! It is the ultimate TRUST we give to Him. It is what our FAITH is built on.
Joseph is a perfect example of yielding, surrendering and obeying God. After his jealous brothers, who the Bible says hated him, sold him into slavery, his life took many twists and turns. Nevertheless, it did not matter what happened to him in his life. He remained committed to God! Without a doubt, it is devastating that your own family hates you and sells you. Furthermore, he faced even more hardships.
Once in slavery, Joseph faces hardships of being falsely accursed of rape and then imprisoned. The chief butler and baker forsake him after he interprets their dreams. However, God did not forsake Joseph. He sees Joseph’s faithfulness. Because of his impressive gift of interpreting dreams, Joseph is made second in command over Egypt.
God, being the master planner, had to strategically place Joseph in position in Egypt. Joseph is able to help those, including his family, in Israel, when the famine comes. Unbeknownst to everyone what God was doing, including Joseph and his brothers, Joseph delivered his people, and the Israelite, from the famine.
God used Joseph’s life to save His people in Israel. When you read the story of Joseph, it is heartbreaking in a sense. On the other hand, it is a story of commitment, stability, inspiration, motivation. Moreover, it demonstrates hard work, dedication, pleasant disposition, and pure grit!
We all can take a script from Joseph’s life of what it is to persevere. We never read about him complaining. For sure, he had enough hardships to happen in his life to complain. Instead, we consistently see him moving forward. He is not plotting and planning for revenge. We see him in an act of forgiveness toward his brothers.
Some say Joseph’s life was a foreshadowing of Christ. God had planned both their lives. They both were sold, betrayed, suffered, saved people, fed people, ruled with authority. The comfort is God was in control of it ALL. We learn that hardships come to shape our lives. They can be used to make us better if we do not become sour about them. Jesus and Joseph did not become sour. They TRUSTED God for what He was allowing in their lives. Even when they did not like it. Steadfastly, they stayed with God. They knew that ultimately, God would not mismanage their lives… Amen.