Are You In The Middle of The Story of Joseph?
By Rene Williams
This article is for people who are in the middle. What do I mean when I say “in the middle?” I mean this is for people who are in the middle of a “Joseph Story.”
Let me explain. In Genesis, the story of the life of Joseph unfolds. As you probably already know, Joseph grew up in a family of many brothers. His father showed him much favoritism because he had Joseph in his old age. Because of his father’s obvious partiality, Joseph’s brothers hated him. But through Joseph’s prophetic dreams, God revealed a great plan for his life. Genesis 37:5-7 says, “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.’”
I’m sure you remember the rest of Joseph’s story – Joseph being thrown in a pit and being sold into slavery; Potiphar’s wife’s false rape accusation; Joseph subsequently being thrown into jail; his being forgotten by the baker and cupbearer after an accurate dream interpretation; his ultimate release from jail due to another accurate interpretation of Pharoah’s dream; and being appointed to 2nd in command in Egypt.
Most of us know his story quite well. Many of us can recite the passages and tell the story verbatim. But the one thing about Bible stories that we regularly fail to remember is that WE know the end result. We know the end of the story. But at the time that Joseph was going through it, he didn’t know how his life would turn out. He had no clue how or when things would work out for him. There may have even been times when he wondered if things were going to work out at all.
But there’s one awesome thing about Joseph’s story. Even though every other human being in his life failed him, he still held on to God. He could have easily blamed God for the problems in his life, but he didn’t. Joseph held on to God and the dream the Lord placed in his heart – despite everything. Regardless of all that was thrown his way and against all logical reasoning and physical circumstances, he believed God. I think it was his unwavering faith in God that brought him through and helped him to make it from one day to the next.
My friend, you just may be in the middle of the Joseph story yourself. But, of course, it’s the ______________ (fill in your name here) story. You may in the middle of a promise that hasn’t come to pass. Or like Joseph, you may have been lied on or rejected by your family. You may have been ridiculed or left for dead. You may have done right but got wrong in return.
But take heart. Right now, you are still in the middle of your story. You have no idea the opportunities and plans God has for bringing you out. You have no idea what events in your life God could be using to set you up for a blessing. When you look at Joseph’s story, it’s amazing that being thrown into a pit, being falsely accused of rape, and being thrown in jail could lead to the biggest blessing of his life. But it did. Every single one of those things not only put him on the path to an enormous blessing, but they showed him the faithfulness of God and His ability to turn any situation around. It also showed him that God can be trusted and whatever He speaks will come to pass.
What circumstances in your life could God be using right now to give you a bigger blessing than you can imagine?
Joseph’s success came from his frame of mind. He didn’t look at himself as a victim; he looked at himself as a victor. At the end of Joseph’s life, he uttered these powerful words to his brothers: “Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:19-20).
Just wait to see how your story ends….
. When I am often discouraged or confused about the path my life is taking, I reflect on Joseph. Joseph's story gives me strength to keep hanging in for another day.
