Joseph’s story is challenging and inspiring story, we all know that. We also know that this is also a story of grace, faith, perseverance, hard work and triumph. We are familiar how at the end it was also a time of great understanding of the purposes of God in one’s life.
The journey that Joseph was taken is a very hard one and can be compared to what a Christian in the workplace or marketplace can also be experiencing right now.
Even as a young boy, Joseph already had a taste of God’s plan for His life and in Genesis 45:3-7, when he revealed himself to his brothers, he said, “…this God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.”
If YOU are a believer and follower of Jesus, you should always be comforted by the thought that God has a plan and a purpose for everything that happens in our lives.
The chronology of Joseph’s life can be summed in this outline:
1. Joseph has a dream
2. Brothers don’t like Joseph’s dream
3. Brothers sells Joseph as a slave
4. Joseph is bought by Pothipar
5. Joseph does well
6. Joseph gets framed for rape
7. Joseph rots in prison
8. Joseph interprets fellow prisoners’ dreams
9. Joseph interprets the king’s dreams
10. Joseph is released from prison and becomes second in command
11. The kings dream comes to pass
12. Joseph saves Egypt
13. Joseph gets to teach his brothers a lesson
14. Joseph is reunited with his family and saves them from famine
It was a roller coaster ride and probably just like the life you are living right now. But Joseph trusted God and never doubted Him. How many of us can say the same?
Obviously, not every detail of Joseph’s life was chronicled. I would agree that part of Joseph’s difficulties arose from personality flaws. But that flaw did not stand in the way of Joseph fulfilling Gods plan for his life which he only realised and understood after so many years.
What you believe you may be suffering today probably does not even come close to what Joseph experienced. How many of us have been wrongfully imprisoned or thrown away by family? Yes, its not so many, and yet, we can easily doubt God and its not even about being human! We are simply easily discouraged and disheartened.
Friends, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He died that we may have life and have it more abundantly. He love you even when we were still sinners. Heck, He loved even before we were born!
Jesus has a purpose for your life, make no mistake about it. Joseph learned it when everything else happened. We do not read that he questioned God about, not unlike Job, another person we look up to who did not sin even though everything was taken away from him.
Knowing your purpose in life indeed makes you stronger. Not knowing it, but you expect that you have one and keeps on going is faith and trust in God.
Image courtesy of bejim at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
