There is hope.
Never lose hope, especially when you seek God and seek to do His will…no matter the circumstances.
The older I get the more I can look back and see the fingerprints of God in my life and in the lives of others. Right now I am studying the life of Joseph found in the book of Genesis. As I study I get to see the beginning but I know the end of the story as well! I call it the “helicopter view”! We live our lives on this earth in the present. Only God has the helicopter view — seeing from beginning to end.
Today I want to point you to the life of Joseph. What I have lived and learned from studying Joseph’s life is that, if we live like Joseph, seeking to please God no matter our circumstances, HE will bring about good in our lives and through our lives. He will also give us WISDOM. When we study the life of Joseph, we see him grow in wisdom and maturity, but it was not without enduring painful and harsh circumstances.
Do you, in some way, relate to the difficulties he faced? I want you to take comfort in the fact that if you have people you love–family, friends who do not know or are not surrendered to Jesus–know that your life can matter much! Yes! How you live and how you respond to all of the things life can throw your way can have a profound eternal significance not only for your life, but for the lives of those around you. Yes, especially family.
Doing the right thing no matter what is going on around you is very important and you may have to do the right thing for a very long time before any change happens.
Yes, for years…
….and suffer too.
But
Remain faithful to the ONE who sees all and knows all, the ONE who created you.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and stay obedient with an ultimate trust.
HE will use your life and grant you FAVOR!
NOTE: From age 17 to 30, Joseph suffered greatly. That is 13 straight years he remained faithful in harsh and unfair circumstances. You would think that the most significant part of God’s favor toward Joseph was when he was elevated to a place of significance and importance in all of Egypt (a foreign land). Read with me in Genesis 41:39-40, “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is NO one so DISCERNING AND WISE as YOU. YOU shall be IN CHARGE of my palace, and ALL my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you’” [emphasis mine].
But if you read on, the real elevation was the favor of God which served a greater purpose than Joseph and his position. You see, God knew from all of Joseph’s unfair treatment that Joseph could be TRUSTED to do the right thing. The important positions Joseph was given were ultimately meant to “SAVE HIS FAMILY.”
Genesis 45:4-5, ”Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the ONE you SOLD into Egypt! And now, DO NOT be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to SAVE lives that God sent me ahead of you.’”
Point of post…God sees. LOVE God. Seek to do His will NO matter what you are facing. TRUST HIM. HE sees and HE Blesses not just actions, but motives behind the actions.
He allows harsh circumstances at times. It often prepares us so that we can remain humble and faithful…so that HIS WILL can be accomplished through our lives. The ultimate will of God is for those who don’t know HIM to come to HIM. We are here for God and HIS will. Often we get that confused and think that God is here for us.
Live for Him. Trust Him. Study the life of Joseph to gain some encouragement that will help you remain faithful and help you grow in wisdom. Blessings will come. TRUST GOD’s intent. In HIM you will find FAVOR and PROVISION no matter the circumstance. We do not see the end….yet. We do not know what is at stake for all eternity BUT we know we can trust the God who holds eternity in His hands.
“The best we can hope for in this life is a knothole peek at the shining realities ahead. Yet a glimpse is enough. It’s enough to convince our hearts that whatever sufferings and sorrows currently assail us aren’t worthy of comparison to that which waits over the horizon.” -Joni Eareckson Tada