So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
– Genesis 37:23-24
So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
– Genesis 37:28
The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
– Genesis 39:2
The Story of Joseph
Have you ever been on a road trip and encountered some unexpected detours along the way?
There was a time in college when I took a road trip in a 2005 Ford Focus, driving from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick in the middle of a snowstorm. I could barely see the road in front of me! It was terrifying, and I barely managed to make it. But oh, what a gift it was when I finally reached my destination!
Sometimes, we head in one direction, aiming for a certain destination, but the journey can feel like driving through a snowstorm. This was the case for Joseph. He had a dream of what he thought God was going to do with him, but he never imagined being stripped of his robe and sold into slavery. Yet, we read that God was with him, and he prospered.
In this story, the journey was filled with trouble, but God was with Joseph both in the midst of it and on the other side of it. Our journeys, though often messy, are opportunities for God to be present and guide us. He has a destination in mind that is greater than we could ever imagine!
If I had turned back out of fear of the snowstorm, I would have never reached New Brunswick. We are all on a journey. It is in the snowstorms of life that our faith is built. It was in the journey that Joseph built his faith and trust, finding the gift of God both in the midst of it and on the other side.
Reflect
What is your journey right now? Are you considering turning back because of the storm? Where, today, can you continue forward in faith amid the journey to find the gift of God in it and beyond it?
Pray
Lord, sometimes this journey of life is hard and feels like a storm, but I choose to trust in You. I choose to continue forward in faith and believe you are with me and guiding me. In Jesus name, Amen.