Why Joseph is My Favorite Character From the Old Testament
Life is great until it isn't.
We can never control everything that happens to us. Every once in awhile, we enter a season in our lives filled with daunting trials. During those hard times, it's hard to understand why God would allow bad things to happen. Especially if we believe we've done nothing to deserve it.
I used to struggle understanding how our perfect God would put us through difficult times. I knew He had the power to stop it, so why wouldn't He?
During a particular season of adversity in my life, I asked God why He wouldn't make things okay again. I was fed up with having to deal with people who found joy in bringing others down. I was frustrated watching those I loved cope with heartbreaking tragedies. And I was tired of waking up every morning just to live another day without someone I had lost.
After being so confused and upset with God, I finally decided I had enough of feeling sorry for myself. I asked God that if He truly cared about me, to give me an answer to why He was allowing me and others I loved to suffer.
I opened my bible not really knowing what to expect. God lead me to the story of Joseph in Genesis. God had given Joseph these dreams, dreams of someday becoming a leader who would leave a lasting impact on the world.
His brothers didn't react too kindly to those dreams. They already mistreated him and were constantly jealous of him. When Joseph told them about his dreams, they took it as him wanting to be their ruler. They ended up tossing their own little brother into a pit. They were going to leave him there to die, but decided they would rather make some money off of him, so they pulled him out and sold him into slavery.
As time goes on, it seems that things only get worse for Joseph. He was falsely accused of rape then thrown into jail for a crime he had not committed. He stayed in that jail for years.
Instead of living in despair, he relied on God. During all of the adversity he was facing, he praised God, he loved God, and he trusted God.
After years spent in jail, Pharaoh brought him out to interpret a dream that had been troubling him. God told Joseph that Pharaohs dreams were a warning. Egypt would enter an extreme famine and if they wanted their nation to survive, they needed to begin preparation.
Pharaoh made Joseph the man in charge of preparing Egypt for the famine. The only person who had more power over him was God himself and Pharaoh. He saved an entire nation from dying.
As I continued to read on, God told me that Joseph wouldn't had been able to save an entire nation if he hadn't had been thrown into that pit, sold into slavery, accused of rape, and thrown into jail. Egypt and Josephs own family would have starved to death.
God is in complete control of everything. He knows exactly what He is doing. Everything that he allows to happen to us is for a reason. When He decides to let us walk through seasons of adversity, He is doing so because He loves us. Like Joseph, He uses trials to build our character and faith. He uses trials to prepare us for our destiny.
Don't be afraid of adversity. During those hard times, cling to God and and know that you are going through this because God is getting ready to bless you in a big way. Once you have conquered your adversity, you will be made into a stronger and godlier person.
Be grateful for everything you have gone through. You wouldn't be who you are today without it.
