When things don't go as planned, what should we do?
I have so many journals and notes lying around my house that I have used at different points in my life to document my faith work and personal experiences. Every once in a while, I pick one up and read through it. As I read through it, I find prayer points that I have forgotten were once prayer points. I see records of difficult and trying times that I have forgotten were once my experiences. I see records of times things didn't go as planned. I see some pages punctuated by large tear drops. All in all, I see a track record of God's faithfulness. I see evidence of growth, both personal and spiritual.
Above all, I am reminded never to be shortsighted again because no matter what I go through, it will always end in praise!
In one of my notes from 2015, I used the story of Joseph to encourage myself in a season where nothing was going according to plan. I hope this encourages you as well.
In Genesis 37 from verse 5, we are introduced to Joseph as the young lad who has dreams of greatness. He had these dreams, not once, but twice, all two having similar interpretation- he was going to be great and reign over his brothers. Surely, these dreams were prophetic! and of course, 17year old Joseph was so excited about it and looked forward to the physical manifestation of the dreams. However, when he went from the pit to the hands of the Ishmaelites, to the house of Pharoah in Egypt as a slave (the irony!), and finally to prison, it was clear that things weren't going as planned.
Joseph's journey was such a topsy turvy one. I imagine being in his position, thrown into the pit thinking that was the end of him and then being pulled out. Phew! Hope restored. Howbeit briefly, as he was then sold to the Ishmaelites and resold to Pharoah as a slave. Got promoted to an overseer of Pharoah's house, hmm, a little sign of leadership. Could this be a humble start of my reign? If he had that thought, he soon found out the answer was a hard NO when he landed in Prison. In prison also, there was a brief moment when Joseph again perhaps nursed the hope that the nightmare would be over, but again, even that didn't go as planned. See what I mean by topsy turvy? How exhausting!
It wasn't until Genesis 41 that we begin to see Josephs' dreams become a reality. In Genesis 50:19, Joseph said to his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
When things don't go as planned, what should we do? Remain faithful. There was no record of Joseph in deep lamentations. He didn't spend his waking hours feeling sorry for himself. He didn't let resentment, whether towards his brothers or God, rest in his heart. He didn't give up or surrender to his fate. Instead, he served faithfully. He remained faithful to his masters and to God.
Nothing made sense to Joseph then. While he was a slave, he didn't have new dreams to reaffirm what had been shown to him as a teenager. When he was a slave, nothing, no new word, no new dreams. However, in Genesis 50:19, it all made sense. It all came together. The full picture only God could see, Joseph's eyes became opened to see it.
Are you in a similar season? Nothing is going as planned? No new word to reaffirm what God had said to you at the start of the journey? Don't despair. Be encouraged by Joseph's story today. It will all end in praise! Trust and remain faithful. Our God is faithful, and all things are working together for our good! Romans 8:28.
Song of the Week: Trust in You by Lauren Daigle
Scriptures for Meditation: Habakkuk 3:19, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Romans 8:28, Numbers 23:19, Phillipians 4:8, Psalm 42:5, Psalms 130:5, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 55:8, Psalms 55:2, Psalms 46:10.
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