A choice to stay close to God

Genesis 50: 20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

These words were said by Joseph to his brothers. Joseph was born to Jacob and Rachel. He was loved by his Father. His brothers (born to Jacob and Leah) were Jealous of him. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold as a slave. He finds himself in Potiphar’s house, things seem to be going well for some time as he is placed in charge of everything in Potiphar’s house. But soon he is falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and put in prison for seven years. In prison, the guard places him in charge of all the other prisoners. Eventually Joseph is called upon to interpret one of Pharoah’s dreams and he finds himself in a position second only to Pharoah. This is a very abbreviated version of events that took place in Joseph’s life from age 17 to 30yrs. The entire story can be read in Genesis ch 37-50.

What stands out the most from Joseph’s story is that his circumstances changed from being his Father’s favourite to being a slave, then put in prison and through it all his faith and his relationship with God did not fluctuate. It could not have been easy, there would have been times he would have felt abandoned by God. As he was waiting on God to lift him out of the situation he found himself in, he must have had moments when he cried out to God in distress.

Through the good and the bad, Joseph, relied on God. He stayed obedient and trusted God. He forgave his brothers when he sees them after many years. He was generous and helped them out when he was in a position of power to do so (he could have easily done the opposite). Joseph demonstrates perseverance, patience, trust and obedience through his trials. Would it have been easy; I am sure it was not. Joseph teaches us that when we make a choice to draw close to God through every season, it helps us navigate our tough moments in such a way that it never leads us away from him.

Nothing stops God’s plans. God had a plan and purpose for Joseph. He prepared him for the role that was intended for him.

Growth takes time. When we read Joseph’s story, he was quick to share with his brothers, his dreams of them bowing to him. As a young man, he probably felt pride in his heart of what this all meant. He was already his Father’s favourite, he was gifted a beautiful, ornamented coat by his father that he wore as mark of being favoured and then to have this dream, would have only served to inflate his pride. Joseph had a lot of growing up to do for what God had planned and purposed for him. God put him in places and positions where he could grow both aa a leader and in humility. He was the man in charge in Potiphar’s house, he learned a lot about stewardship and leadership. When he was later in prison, he continued to learn about leadership as he was put in charge of other prisoners, but he was still very much a prisoner himself. He was powerless to get out. That period of time would have served to take him to a deeper level of humility and dependence on God.

Joseph’s story shows us the beautiful blessing of staying close to God through every season. In difficult periods, discouragement and doubt can easily take root. But may we choose every day to draw near to him even when our feelings might say otherwise. God sees each and every choice we make to remain faithful to him. And in challenging circumstances, bring such scripture stories to mind, to remind us that God is working even when we cannot see it and that he is preparing and shaping you for what path he has planned for you.

God Bless.