My hubby and I teach a middle school Sunday school class. Yikes! Right? Our son is in the class, so it’s not quite as scary as it sounds. We were recently talking about Joseph. You remember him; the coat of many colors guy. As we were preparing the lesson, it struck me that this kid went through some really tough times. Yes, he was a bit of a brat in the beginning, but at 17 he was sold by his brothers and sent to a foreign land where he didn’t speak the language or know the customs. Then he was put in charge of a high official’s house. Things were looking up. He was comfortable and cared for, then the man’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. He did the “right thing” and turned her down. She falsely accused him of attacking her and he got thrown into prison. This guy couldn’t catch a break.
As I re-read the Joseph story, I thought of how often bad things seem to happen for no good reason. I thought about how sometimes when life is dark, we pray and pray for deliverance, but God doesn’t appear to be listening. He doesn’t get us a better job, or change our spouse, or change our financial situation; I’m sure you have your own blank to fill in here. The point is sometimes, when we are in a valley and we find ourselves praying diligently for a way out, God leaves us where we are, just like Joseph, but it turns out that he is listening. He throws us a lifeline.
In Genesis 39:2 NIV, it says, “The Lord was with Joseph so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.” Then when he was in prison, “But the Lord was with Joseph in prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.” Genesis 40:21 NIV God didn’t rescue Joseph because he needed him to be right where he was. He didn’t remove him from the situation, but he helped him. He intervened.
Joseph was a piece in a huge puzzle of God’s making. He went on to save what was to become the entire nation of Israel from starving to death. He didn’t know it at the time and it couldn’t have been easy for him. Joseph’s story makes me re-evaluate my valley times. How do I do during these times? Do I pray and keep the faith? Do I get angry and give up? Do I feel sorry for myself? Do I feel that God has abandoned me?
In hindsight, I can see that I have never walked alone, even though it may have felt that way at the time. In the future, I pray that I can remember Joseph’s story and that the Lord is always with me, no matter where I am or what I am going through. How do you do in your valley times?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂