Hope for Imperfect Families From the Story of Josephნიმუში

Day 4: Snapshot

Rather than a life written into the pages of Scripture, try to imagine the story of Joseph as a series of photos on your phone. His birth might be a snapshot of Rachel with tired eyes while gray-haired Jacob stood beaming beside her. You could snap a picture of the day he received his coat of favor while the angry brothers scowled in the background. Then another image of the brothers gathered around while Joseph gushed about the crazy dreams he’d been having. Which brings up another snapshot, a picture the brothers would hope no one would ever see.

Read Genesis 37:12–30.

Joseph was old enough to tend the sheep with his brothers. That’s what he was doing at the beginning of this chapter. However, in verse 12, his brothers were pasturing sheep, while Joseph got to stay home until Jacob sent the brother with whom the rest of the family could not even bear to speak to, to check on things.

Joseph’s brothers saw that beautiful coat of his on the horizon, and somebody said, “Let’s kill him.”

Read what happened next in Genesis 37:13–36.

We can’t coat this moment in sugar. What happened in this family is ugly! Brother against brother in a murderous plot turned slave trade. Lies on top of lies. An already grieving father whose loss is so great that he cannot be comforted. And a chosen son sent off to a foreign land to an unseen future. Ah, but this is just a snapshot. The story of Joseph continues to teach us that what God is doing now is not all that He is doing.

God could have stopped Joseph from going to visit his brothers that day. He chose not to. He could have changed their hearts in an instant or sent an angelic warrior to guard the opening of the pit. He didn’t. Instead of sending a rescue team, He sent foreign slave traders.

Joseph couldn’t have seen it.

The brothers couldn’t have seen it.

Jacob couldn’t have seen it.

But God was at work. God is always at work.

If all we had was this moment in Joseph’s family, we could only see pain, but it’s just a snapshot. God was already moving this family toward redemption. The story of Joseph reminds us that when it comes to our families, we have a very finite, human perspective. God is not a lock to be picked, a code to be cracked, or a riddle to be solved. He is far too big for that! Which means we cannot always understand the ways He is at work in our families.

To wrap up today’s plan, meditate on Job 42:2. Pray through the names and circumstances where you need a fresh infusion of hope that God is at work in your family.