Stripped: Trusting God When He Allows Others to Hurt Youনমুনা

HOW GOD’S PURPOSE AFFECTS ME

Seeing Joseph’s story within the implications of this backstory and under the light of the bigger picture will bring a depth that I believe has the power to transform years of pain and sorrow, allowing us to approach God with a renewed sense of trust.

If I see my story as a separate, disconnected series of events out of the capable hands of our Master story-teller, I will lose hope and courage. If Joseph only focused on the pain he experienced when his brothers stripped him, threw him in the cistern, and subsequently sold him as a slave hoping to never see him again, he would have missed the bigger picture. That picture that God had revealed piece by piece to his great-grandfather and that He was busy orchestrating despite all of their questionable choices.

Joseph’s role was part of the plan revealed in Genesis 17:1-8. God was building a nation, which was something that took hundreds of years and, unbeknownst to Joseph, it was his story that God was going to redeem in order to preserve the family and build the nation from which the Savior of the world would come.

Joseph had no way of knowing this! Just like we, in the limitation that comes from not knowing the future or fully understanding the past that has shaped where we are in the present, are unable to foresee the effects of a timeline still very much in course.

Look at the revelation God gives us about this through the words of the apostle Paul to the believers in Colossae: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17, CSB).

ALL things hold together in Jesus! Jesus in the beginning of time. Jesus in the center of God’s redemption story. Jesus at the end of this world as we know it. He holds all things together! That includes Joseph, that includes me, that includes you. Our stories, redeemed by the love and mercy of a God who can take the worst done to us, and by His power, turn it into a victory.

You and I have a part to play in His timeline! Our actions and choices affect other people. For example, this Bible plan is the intersection of my life with yours, which could be a catalyst for healing and change, impacting in turn those you interact with, depending on how you apply these words moving forward. He is able to redeem our stories in powerful, life-changing ways, and all in the palm of His hand.

Ok, now we are ready to go back to chapter 37. The upcoming lessons we’ll uncover in Joseph’s story hinge on how we internalize, accept, or reject what we have discussed so far.

The question each of us must answer is: am I going to be open to what God can do IN and THROUGH me, despite what has been done TO me?

To meditate:

• Have you identified a pattern or patterns in your life that need to be broken? If so, which?
• Have you ever pictured your life in God’s timeline for humanity?
• Use a blank page to begin a timeline of your life. Add important milestones and see if you can find similarities with Joseph’s story as we move along in the study.
• Which of God’s attributes give you more confidence for tomorrow?
• Are there any misalignments between what God reveals about Himself and what you think about God? For example, ‘God is love’ in contrast to ‘God doesn’t love me.’ Or ‘God doesn’t care about me’ as opposed to “Because you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you...” (Isaiah 43:4, CSB).