In reading the life of Joseph, it would have been easy for him to give up and succumb to his circumstances. Joseph lived in a house full of people that did not like him. His brothers hated him so much that they sold Joseph to traders passing by and told their Father, Jacob, that Joseph was dead. It would be hard to see the Lord’s plan through this hardship, but it did not end there.
Joseph was sold to Potiphar who was an officer of Pharaoh. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and moved him to a high position in his house. The Lord blessed Joseph with this prestigious position, but his hardships were not over.
Because Joseph never wavered in his faith, Potiphar’s wife wrongfully accused him. Again hatred brings hardship in the life of Joseph and he ends up in prison. The Lord was with Joseph and he rose to be over all the prisoners. Joseph was in prison for two years before he was brought to interpret the dream of Pharaoh.
Overall, Joseph had been a slave for thirteen years. Each time that evil came against Joseph, the Lord turned it for good. He was sold as a slave and moved to run Potiphar’s house. He was wrongfully accused and moved to run the prison.
Joseph was in the place he needed to be to interpret the dream of Pharaoh and by doing so, Joseph became governor over Egypt. Joseph was given a wife and had two sons of his own. He was a wealthy, powerful man. None of this would have happened if Joseph had given up during any of the thirteen years he was a slave.
Joseph worked hard during the seven years of plenty to provide for the people during the seven years of famine. He could not see that this is where he would end up, but remained faithful to the Lord. Through the circumstances, situations and hardships, Joseph did not let it change who he was.
Whatever you are going through today, stand strong in the faith. Know that God has plan and He is constantly working on your behalf. We see through the life of Joseph that there will be times when we do not understand and cannot see the road ahead. You may get the urge to change directions because of what you are going through at this moment, but stay the course.
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