“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:2
Life is filled with pain and sadly we are not promised a pain-free life. The bible doesn’t say that God will lead us “around” the waters but it says that God will be with us “through” the waters, the rivers and through the fire. God does not guarantee us the absence of struggles but he does guarantee that he will be with us and he will be our strength.
I’ve received so many prayer requests this year from people in different parts of the world sharing with me the pain and the disappointments they are going through in their lives. It made me realise that nobody is immune to pain in this life, regardless of what part of the world they live in. But the truth that we should all know and believe is that you will get through your pain. Despite what you’ve done in the past God will use your past mistakes for His glory, God will use your mess for good, God will use the things that the enemy purposed for your evil to fulfil the plans that He has for your life. All you have to do is trust Him and not lose hope.
I love the story of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph’s life was no easy ride but God used every single thing that Joseph went through for his good. I want to share a few lessons I’ve learnt from the story of Joseph with you. It won’t all be in one blog post, I will break it down in a few posts that will follow.
The story of Joseph in Genesis 37 begins when he is 17 years of age. We are told that Joseph was favoured among the sons of Jacob and because of Jacob’s love for his son he made him a beautiful coat of many colours. I can only imagine the jealously that His brothers felt when they saw Joseph in his beautiful coat. The fact that their father loved him more must have infuriated them and now even more so with this coat of many colours and Joseph’s dreams that he had excitedly shared with them. That fury surely turned to hatred. So from Genesis 37:23 we meet them in the field after Joseph has been stripped of his coat and he has been thrown into the pit. The empty pit with no water. Joseph never could have seen this coming. He must have been so devastated, betrayed by his own.
“So it came to pass when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colours that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.” – Genesis 37:23
I don’t know what pit you’ve been thrown into today or what pit you are currently stuck in. There is usually no space to breath or sit comfortably in a pit. This is the place where you feel uncomfortable, stuck and dissatisfied. Maybe right now you find yourself in a pit of unemployment, an unfaithful spouse, financial struggle, brokenness, infertility, divorce, you are battling with disease or your parent is battling a disease and you feel forgotten and abandoned in your pit. Joseph must have felt the same as he called out to his brothers and his brothers ignored him and carried on eating. Joseph in that pit didn’t know how his story will end but we know. God showed us that what was intended for evil He turned it around for good. God had a plan for Joseph. God redeemed the story of Joseph and he wants to do the same for you. Maybe in that pit where you find yourself, you’ve been calling out to God like Joseph was calling out for his brothers and all you hear is silence. Though Joseph’s brothers clearly ignored him, God will not ignore you or forget you. God is working on your behalf. It won’t be without pain, it won’t be without sorrow but if you trust to God he will see you through.
Whatever you are going through right now remind yourself that you are a Joseph to this generation. That story is in the bible for a reason. I encourage to read it and remind yourself that if you trust in God whatever the devil intends for evil, God can and will redeem it for good. We all know that the story of Joseph got worse before it got better. And sadly sometimes that is the reality of life, things will get so bad before they can get better. Don’t give up. You will make it. Look up. Stay your eyes and your heart on Jesus. God did it for Joseph and He will do it for you.
We will carry on with the story of Joseph in my next post when we look at what happens to Joseph from the pit to the time he gets to Egypt. If you have moved from “pit to Egypt” right now, remind yourself that you are not alone, remain faithful to God in that foreign place, in that broken place, in the midst of that mess because the same God who was with Joseph and who made Joseph prosper and succeed in Egypt is the same God who is standing and working out your journey through Egypt. It will not be without pain but it will be worth it if you trust Him. Hope this encourages you and reminds you that God has not forgotten about you. Remember He has promised, “Never will l leave you; never will l forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Leave a Reply