Today we begin the first of our 4 day series by guest author, Ray Graetz, who invites us into the life of Joseph and the events that turned his life upside down …

Ps 105:16-22 (ESV): ¹⁶ When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, ¹⁷ he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. ¹⁸ His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; ¹⁹ until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. ²⁰ The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; ²¹ he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, ²² to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom. (emphasis added)

This is a well-known Bible story and there is a lot of treasure we can dig from it. But I will focus on some aspects that might be relevant to those of us who are navigating our way through a season of life that looks quite different to—perhaps almost opposite to—what we might have anticipated.

God had a plan for Joseph’s life and gave him some glimpses of what that might look like, but then took him through situations that seemed to be the opposite of what he had glimpsed. After being given a view of being in a position of significant authority, he had to endure being betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave and then imprisoned unjustly. But this was the pathway God knew would prepare Joseph to fulfil His plan for his life.

Joseph was tested by the word of the Lord…before it came to pass in his life.

Similarly, we may be tested by the word of the Lord…before it comes to pass in our life. And this testing may involve us going through experiences that seem to be the opposite of what we may have glimpsed through our understanding of God’s purpose for our life.

How did Joseph manage to rise above the challenging situations he faced, to fulfil God’s purpose for his life? And what can we learn from him that will help us rise above challenging situations in our life?

First, it appears that Joseph never gave up hope in God, never gave up hope that God had a purpose for his life and never gave up an evident determination to live in a way that would honour God and help other people. How did he do that?

The Amplified Version has an interesting translation of verses 17-18 above that gives us a key insight: (AMP – emphasis added): ¹⁷ He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant. ¹⁸ His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron.

This expression suggests to me that Joseph came to accept each of the unexpected and challenging situations in which he found himself…not fight them. Instead of resisting, and resenting, these difficult circumstances, he was free, within himself, to fully invest himself into, and extract maximum value from, each of these situations.

Second, I am impressed by the way Joseph was determined, always, to excel in everything he did, in every situation he faced, rather than become slack in any way. And this was important because failure, in any facet of his character, could have jeopardised the ultimate opportunity God had planned for him.

We see this, first, with the favour God granted him in Potiphar’s house:

Gen 39:2-6 (NIV): ² The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, ⁴ Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. ⁵ From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ⁶ So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

And we see this, again, when Joseph was sent to prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife:

Gen 39:20-23 (NIV): ²⁰ …while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warder. ²² So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ²³ The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

One of the many qualities that God is wanting to develop, in each of us, is faithfulness, or reliability, in carrying out a task—1 Cor 4:2 (NIV): Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. And He has some interesting ways of assessing what He can entrust to us….

Ray Graetz
July 29, 2024