A Day When Nothing Goes Right

Genesis 39:1-41:16

We have all had those days when it seemed everything we touch just turns bad.  Sometimes it can be more than a day; it can be a season.  I remember a time in my life about 10 years ago now, when it seemed EVERYTHING hit a snag.  A problem sprung up in my extended family; I had challenges in relationships that were very close to me; I had a significant health issue; the list could go on.  It was a dark year for me.  You've probably been through times like that too.

The story of Joseph is like that.  He was double-crossed again and again.  Yet we never find him getting bitter.  He sought to keep his heart in a good place.  Several times in this passage it states, "The Lord was with him" (39:2, 3, 5, 21, and 23).  One might ask, "If God was with Joseph, why did He let him go through so much trouble?"  The answer to that question is very significant to each of us.

God never promises that we will not experience trial.  He never quarantees unflagging success or gratification.  He does however promise to never leave us or forsake us -- even in the darkest hour.  In fact, it is in the backdrop of severe testing that our light shines brightest.  The betrayal by Joseph's brothers, the treachery of Potiphar's wife, and the forgetfulness of the butler all serve to highlight the excellence of Joseph's character.  These set-backs were not road-blocks.  They were stepping stones.  They were the challenges that led to Joseph's greatest successes -- to the fulfillment of his destiny.

Our challenges are not designed to defeat us.  They are designed to promote us.  Paul echoes this in Rom. 8:18 when he states, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  For any person who belongs to Jesus, this is your destiny.