They Ruined My Life!
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Phil. 1:6 kjv
What did I do to deserve this???
Have you ever asked yourself that question after being mistreated? Have you ever questioned God’s goodness when your closest companions hurt you? Have you ever wondered if you will still be able to fulfill your calling when your life, as the result of others, looks drastically different than “it’s supposed to look?”
After all, you were the one going to church every Sunday. You were the one being faithful. You were the one praying and reading your Bible. You were the one demonstrating self-control. You were the one following all the rules. You were the one that deserved this rejection and hurt the least!
As I read the life of Joseph as a young boy I see an obedient but immature adolescent. He has it made. He is his father’s favorite. He doesn’t have to work hard in the fields like his older brothers. God is already revealing his future to Joseph in his dreams and it looks pretty promising! It is already very evident that he is highly favored in his father’s eyes as well as God’s.
And Then…
His closest kin does the unthinkable. His brothers, filled with hate and envy, sell him to a group of travelers heading to Egypt. In a moment, Joseph’s life looks drastically different than he had imagined. I am sure his visions of growing old in the land of his father and the inheritance that he would claim faded as the noise from the foreign land he was approaching rose.
“What did I do to deserve this?”
I wonder if those words resonated with Joseph during the many years he worked as a slave in Egypt. I wonder if he thought the plans God had revealed to him in his dreams were shattered all because of his brother’s actions. I wonder when he was thrown into prison, again of no fault of his own, if he wondered if this was going to be his story…” forgotten and abandoned”…all because of others’ actions towards him.
But here is what really was going on…
There was a young boy highly favored of God but in desperate need of sanctification.
There was a plan in place to bring Joseph to a great place.
There were people who mistreated Joseph.
But…
There was GOD in every moment.
Let’s take a few seconds to look at the highlights (or lowlights) of Joseph’s life:
Joseph had brothers who hated him so they sold him as a slave.
Joseph was sold into the house of Potiphar, second in command in all of Egypt.
Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison with Pharoh’s butler.
Joseph interprets the butler’s dream and the butler tells Pharoh about this man in prison who can interpret dreams when Pharoh has a troublesome dream.
Pharaoh is so impressed with Joseph that he puts him in charge of saving the kingdom from famine.
Joseph is able to save his entire family from starvation during the years of famine, thus saving the Israelite nation.
Ready for a wild ride??? Let’s look at Joseph’s story in reverse:
Joseph was able to save his entire family from starvation during years of famine, thus saving the future ISRAELITE NATION as a result of…
Pharaoh being so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of saving the kingdom from famine as a result of…
Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s troublesome dream as a result of…
The butler telling Pharaoh about Joseph as a result of…
Joseph being in prison with Pharaoh’s butler and interpreting his dream as a result of…
Being falsely accused and thrown into prison as a result of…
Being a servant in the household of Potiphar as a result of…
His brothers hating him and selling him as a slave!!!
What the enemy means for evil God intends for good! Even the best schemes of Satan and the best attempts of man to ruin Joseph’s life ONLY led him to fulfill his destiny.
In the end, we see the prophecy of Joseph’s dreams fulfilled and we see a much more mature Joseph. He had definitely been refined by fire. The sanctification process of transforming that young and maybe a tad arrogant boy into a man full of wisdom and forgiveness was not an easy road. But what I love best is that despite being mistreated over and over again God’s plan stood firm!!!
In fact, GOD USED the mistreatment of man to fulfill Joseph’s calling.
God needed Joseph in Egypt and, out of ignorance, his brothers stepped up to the plate to help him get there!
What God has purposed for you, no power of hell nor scheme of man can alter!
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
