Early on in the journey through my own wilderness, I was introduced to Joseph in a way I had never known before. I knew about him, read his story, heard all the sermons about him, I had even seen a musical about him. But I had not embraced the message of his walk with God and the overwhelming power of forgiveness, restitution, and joy that was his merely through trusting totally in God to bring a very hopeless situation to one of victory, healing, joy, and love.
What would his life have been like had he been angry, resentful, spiteful and possibly even curse God for his misfortune? We will never know. But we can imagine if we look within ourselves and see that although we might not have been literally sold into slavery, put in prison and removed from all that care about us and love us, we can be bitter, angry and perhaps even curse God, merely by our actions and attitudes toward Him and those around us.
Joseph trusted that God would remove him from the adversity he was put in. And when it did not happen right away, instead of giving up hope, Joseph served God in the midst of the adversity, choosing to be obedient and content in what state he was in.
We don’t always have happy endings like Joseph did. And his happy ending didn’t happen overnight. Often all we can see is the mess and the ending, which may or may not be the end, is not what we hoped for.
We don’t always rise above the ruins of our heartbreak, our disappointment, our losses to find ourself with great wealth or experience the happy family reunion and long life amongst our loved ones that we had hoped for. Too many times we find ourself still living in the pit we have been thrown into. Joseph didn’t know his life was going to turn out as it did. God’s resolution for him was wonderful and unexpected. It was more than Joseph could have imagined.
God can give us beauty for ashes. Isaiah 61:3 (HCSB) 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him.
I think sometimes our idea of beauty may be different than God’s. We look at the mess we are in and want it all cleaned up. To coin a phrase from one of my favorite Bible teachers, God wants us to turn our mess into our message.
What message are we sending to others when we react to adversity in our life, to things not happening the way we wanted or hoped? Even if the mess is not of our doing but of the world’s fallen condition, circumstances beyond our control, what message are we sending by the words we speak, no matter what the medium we use to speak them?
Are we using words of love, mercy, and grace? Are we praying about our words before we speak them? Are we committing our ways and the ways of those who have wronged us to God? And maybe those we have wronged?
Too often when I hear God has a plan for me I see my own plan in my head and have difficulty getting past that image. Part of trusting in God is knowing that His plan is far greater than what we can imagine. Believing that is the key to receiving what He has for us.
Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
