The Jewish patriarch Joseph had a roller coaster life. As a young boy, he was his father’s favorite and even received from him the gift of a beautiful and colorful robe. His brothers, out of utter disdain, sold Joseph into slavery. He experienced joy as a son, and sorrow as a slave. Yet while a slave, he earned his master’s trust and was ultimately put in charge of his master’s estate. Then his master’s wife, upset that Joseph would not accept her romantic advances, charged Joseph with attempted rape and Joseph was thrown in jail. He had worked his way up to a respectful position, only to be imprisoned without hope of release. Then he is brought before the Pharaoh, leader of all Egypt, and upon interpreting his dreams and foretelling of a great famine, Joseph is freed of slavery, freed of prison, and placed over all of Egypt, answering only to Pharaoh himself. Through it all, Joseph was able to see the hand of God in his life, ultimately telling the very brothers who sold him as a slave that though they had intended to harm him, God had intended it for good.
I think about Joseph’s roller coaster life, because it seems like we are on a roller coaster ourselves right now. Businesses that had been steadily growing since Hurricane Matthew hit the Island in 2016 were suddenly shaken with the combination of self-imposed and government mandated shut-downs. Families were thoroughly disrupted as students shifted to home-based learning. Then re-opening happened, and people within driving distance of our Island flocked here, kickstarting the businesses that had been closed for months and bringing business life back to the community. But then, as case counts climbed, plans to reopen schools and universities hit a snag and parents were told that kids would be learning online again. Where it goes next is anyone’s guess.
The Bible doesn’t give us any insight into Joseph’s emotional state when he is sold into slavery, or later when he is tossed into prison. The Bible does tell us that he was an exceptional slave/worker who earned the trust of his owner, and that he was an exceptional prisoner who was helpful to the warden and the other prisoners. Clearly, he did not allow his negative circumstances to keep him down, but at the same time, it is hard to imagine that he embraced his down points with hopeful anticipation of how God was going to work through him. Sometimes it takes a while to catch your breath when you’ve been knocked down.
Ultimately, Joseph accepted the reality of the situations that he found himself in, and he made the most of it. He trusted God with his life, in bad times and good, realizing the truth of something that the Apostle Paul would write to the church in Rome at least 1,500 years later, that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.” I can’t help but wonder how much better we would all be handling this situation if we shared that same confidence, believing that God has a greater good that will come about because of what we are going through. Such is the essence of faith. I choose to believe that God is at work, and His good will some day be evident. How about you?
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron