AP

Genesis 41:42-43  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger.  He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.  He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!”  Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

The first 30 years of Joseph’s life were plagued with real faith-testing problems that most of us would find hard to bear.  He grew up under the judgmental eye of ten older half-brothers, he was spoilt rotten by a doting father – almost certainly the primary cause of his brothers’ despising of him, and he was a fairly tactless dreamer.

His early dreams had foretold of God’s hand on his life and of his future rise to power over his brothers.  He never doubted God’s sovereign rule.  But only the end of the story had been revealed to him, and not the details of the pathway to it!

His life was threatened by his jealous brothers and he was sold by them into slavery in a foreign land with virtually no hope of ever seeing his family again or even letting his grieving father know that he was still alive or where he was (Genesis 37).  Nevertheless, even from this seemingly hopeless situation God did raise him to power amongst his long-standing political enemies … only to dash his hopes yet again through the unjust, spiteful revenge of a ‘scorned woman’, resulting in more years in prison with no avenue through which to plead the justice of his cause  (Genesis 39).

He could be readily excused for thinking that a cruel God was playing games with his life like a merciless puppeteer; but his faith and trust in his God remained strong and steadfast, holding on to God’s promises in spite of all his adverse circumstances.  How helpful and encouraging it is for us to have this factual account of Joseph’s life firmly inscribed for us in God’s infallible Word!

As we face many obstacles, hardships and discouragements, and are sometimes tempted to lose heart, to doubt God’s promises, and to ask big questions starting with ‘Why …’ in the confusing perplexity of God’s providence, let us settle in our minds that “the one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).   Through faith in the finished work of his Son on the cross, God has promised us that we will one day ‘reign with him’ (2 Timothy 2:11-12).  But (thankfully) he doesn’t give us the details of the journey there, except that it will be similar to the path our Saviour trod for us.

Will we, like Joseph, remain steadfast in our trust of our Heavenly Father through all the ups and downs of the journey to glory?  “Thrice blest is he to whom is giv’n the instinct that can tell that God is on the field, when he is most invisible.  He hides himself so wondrously as though there were no God; he is least seen when all the powers of ill are most abroad. … …  Then learn to scorn the praise of men, and learn to lose with God; for Jesus won the world through shame and calls you to his road” (Frederick William Faber).

– Bruce Christian