Read Genesis 37
Genesis 37:3-4 “Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age, and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”
Observation: Jacob had four wives with children by each of them. If you go back in the story of Genesis, you will find that Jacob’s most loved wife was Rachel, with whom he was cheated out of a marriage with and was made to work 14 years by and for his future father-in-law before he could have her as his wife.
Joseph was born to Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel and as a result, was more cherished than any of his other brothers. Joseph did not choose to whom he would be born or choose how his father would favor him over his brothers. He did not choose that his brothers would be jealous of him and despise him before he was even born. Even though he did not choose the life he was born into, he suffered nonetheless because of it. As we move just a little forward in this story, we will discover just how much his brothers hated him and just how much he would have to suffer with no fault of his own.
Application: Sometimes, things come our way in life that we have no control over and yet we end up suffering for them. It may be that a coworker makes a mistake at work that ends up causing you grief or maybe you have been blamed for something you are completely innocent of. We like to think we are in control but reality teaches us that there is so little we can control in our lives and yet we are stuck with living through these things.
Joseph’s life serves as a monumental example of how we can choose to live through these difficult situations. We can be defeated by them or we can rise above them choosing to put our trust in God that He has a plan for our lives and even in the midst of these difficulties, God is working his will out in our lives. I have been so impressed with Joseph and I hope you will be too as we walk together through his life. Through all the storms that came his way, he was able to keep his eyes fixed on God knowing that God had a plan and hoping that one day it would all make sense.
There are no promises that one day it will all make sense. Joseph was fortunate that he got to experience the reason for the trials. Joseph got to live out firsthand how God used some pretty horrible situations to bring about the saving of thousands upon thousands of lives.
Today may be difficult, and you may be stuck in the middle of a bad situation you did not bring about or cause, but today, choose to keep your eyes focused upon God trusting that He is bringing about His will in your life and someday, this may all make sense.
Prayer: God, help me to rise above the difficulties I have not chosen and have not brought upon myself. Give me the grace to trust in you and that your will is being worked out in my life even in the struggles I face. Amen
