“Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.” – Genesis 41:46
Consider what it took for Joseph to reach this triumphant moment in his life, when he essentially became Pharaoh’s Prime Minister. From this position, Joseph would save both Egypt and the family of Israel from a coming seven-year famine. Reaching this point required walking a very long and painful road that would have broken most people. Broken their spirit, broken their will, broken their spirit.
Roughly thirteen years earlier, he’d been betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers. Sold for 20 silver coins, but mostly to get rid of him. Enslaved in the home of a prominent Egyptian official, Joseph rose through the ranks of his owner’s slaves. Then he was falsely accused of assaulting the man’s wife, who’d actually been assaulting him. Joseph then spent years in jail, just to meet the man who would quickly forget about him for two years before finally introducing Joseph to Pharaoh.
Thirteen years were stolen from the prime of Joseph’s youth. Stolen by slavery, slander, injustice, and neglect. And yet, Joseph never gave in to despair. He knew God was with him. He knew that God was his ultimate and just judge. So, Joseph resisted many temptations, resisted discouragement, and remained true to God when no person was true to him. All of this – as terrible, unjust, and miserable as it was – was God’s good, sovereign will to bring Joseph to the place of power where he could save his people AND his oppressors. What sinful people meant for evil purposes, God used to accomplish great good!
Should you find yourself in a long, hard, discouraging season, remember that Joseph’s God is your God. He’s still perfect in His knowledge, wisdom, goodness, justice, and power. His good will for your life will be accomplished! There’s no way to know what difficult seasons of life might be teaching you, refining in you, or preparing you for. But always remember that in Christ, God is always with you and you’re never alone. He always has good and meaningful works prepared for you to do and He loves you more than you can possibly understand. #FollowJesus