Slapped Down Again

If I could only have one story to read out of the Old Testament, it would be the one of the life of Joseph.  It has spoken to me my whole life. So many lessons can be learned in this story of Joseph’s life!

Joseph was a guy who was continually slapped down and yet continually relied on God anyway. Consequently, God always pulled Joseph out of the sticky situation.  Was Joseph perfect? No. But he did rely on a perfect God.  

Joseph was thrown in an empty cistern by his jealous brothers, sold into slavery and carted off to a foreign land.  There, he served his master so well that he was given a great deal of liberty running the household.  Yet again, he is slapped down when the master’s wife falsely accused him of molesting her and Joseph is sent to rot in prison. There in prison he gained favor with the prison guard. He also correctly interpreted the dreams of fellow prisoners. Joseph knew, through one of those dreams, that a fellow prisoner was to be released so he tried his hand at getting himself out of prison by asking that guy to put in a good word for him once he was released. But that man, the chief cup bearer, forgot Joseph.  Joseph’s plan did not work the way he wanted. It was not God’s time for his rescue. 

When Joseph’s plan fell through, he must have been fed up, beat down and at rock bottom. Joseph spent two more years in prison. At that point, Joseph never imagined what God had in store for him. He didn’t know he was going to rule in Egypt. He didn’t know he was going to see his lost family again.  He didn’t know he would be put in a position to serve justice to his brothers. He didn’t know he was going to forgive his brothers instead of taking revenge.  He didn’t know he was going to be used to save many people from starvation. And all of this was God’s plan, not Joseph’s.  

My takeaway today is simple: I need to relax and trust God. I need to continue putting one foot in front of the other and trust God to provide a place for that foot to rest. I need to let go of my worry and plans to fix things. God has a bigger plan than I ever imagined.  

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

[6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.