Ever been treated unfairly? Disappointed about an outcome? Perplexed that life isn’t going your way?
Me, too.
And, like you, I’ve been tempted to pout. Or throw a fit. Or throw the towel in.
Until I consider Joseph.
He was the eleventh son of Jacob. The favored one. The one sold into slavery, then wrongly accused, and finally thrown into jail.
Yet, in every situation, Joseph lived above his circumstances. And I like to think it’s because of the pit his brothers threw him into.
Surely, in the dark, musty bottom of a dry cistern, where tears were inevitable and life looked hopeless, Joseph must have looked up and called on the only One who could save him.
His deliverance didn’t look―in our estimation―like the kind of rescue he deserved. After all, he came out of that pit only to be sold into slavery. But we know God saved Joseph from the pit for a purpose.
Joseph’s predicament wasn’t lost on the Lord, and neither are our disappointments, frustrations, and painful moments. In fact, they’re the very things God uses to get our attention.
When we’re sinking to the bottom, we tend to reach up. And that’s when we find the Lord is always there. “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence” (Psalm 139:7, NLT)!
God is always with us, and that’s why we, too, can live above our circumstances. Joseph persevered because he discovered God was using his setbacks ”to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5).
God has glorious plans for all our disappointments. When we surrender them to Him, we find “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The Lord lifted Joseph from a pit to a prison so He could prepare him for a palace.
If you’re in a pit of disappointment, be sure to look up. “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).
2 comments
Oh yes! Joseph is a wonderful example of how God redeems. Not only was God not caught off guard, or even simply allow it, he MEANT Joseph’s trials for good and SENT Joseph ahead. “And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you” (Genesis 45:5). Oh for that grace to forgive so freely.
Yes! Jacob’s life is a beautiful illustration of God’s sovereignty.❤️ I’m so moved by Jacob’s resolve to trust and serve Him even though he couldn’t fathom how it all would unfold. I want to be so faithful:)