Stripped: Trusting God When He Allows Others to Hurt Youಮಾದರಿ

THE REAL INTERPRETATION

Can you imagine for a moment the scene when Jacob arrived in Egypt and saw Joseph? Weeping, embracing, realizing that God had been at work and not absent…He had been busy sorting out their messes in order to fulfill His promises and purposes. Joseph was only capable of understanding the real interpretation of the dreams God had given him once the family reunion was complete. Decades earlier, he and his brothers interpreted the dreams in a way that made sense for them at the time, “Will you actually rule us?”

The real interpretation became clear only after the journey: The brothers would bow before him, but the one meant to serve the family was Joseph.

Joseph only understood a part of the dream, the physical submission and bowing of his brothers. God’s plan was to use Joseph to save the family and establish them in Egypt where they would prosper and grow into a mighty nation. Joseph had the leadership position, but now he also had a servants’ heart and character.

Has the Lord brought you to a similar place? Have you realized that perhaps the dreams you interpreted for your own life actually meant something else? Maybe you envisioned arriving at your destiny in a different way and you’ve fought against or questioned God’s promises. Perhaps there is a different interpretation that you are missing, and it could be linked to forgiving those who hurt you.

Have you had an opportunity to kick them while they are down? Have you celebrated their own stripping (if you witnessed it) or have you been able to clothe those who hurt you?

When we are able to clothe those who stripped us, we enter a new dimension of understanding and suddenly things that have been unclear for years become evident. Dreams look different from this new position of grace. And often, it’s precisely then when God reveals the meaning of the dreams He had revealed to us.

Friend, is there an interpretation of a dream you need to reconsider?

Have you been holding on to a limited view of what God has in store for you? Do you need to let go of your old expectation of a dream in order to embrace the purpose God had all along?

When we open our hands to bless those who have persecuted us, there is more capacity to manage the destiny He’s prepared for us. It’s not about being served by others, but about being of service in the place God positions us.

Jacob lost his son for 22 years, but God gave him 17 more years of life after being reunited. God prospered the family when they relocated to Egypt and, through Joseph’s position, gave them a life of abundance. Joseph lived 110 years and saw three generations of one of his sons. Taking his full life into account, those 13 years of suffering are but a mere blink of his total days. Was his life perfect from that point on? By no means; surely they had arguing, sickness, deaths, disappointments, and drama, as is natural for mortals.

Does surpassing trials like these guarantee only blessings in our future? No, this is, after all, a broken world and we will face other challenges. But this Josephic process I have gone through has given me a completely different perspective on life, on God, and on being able to trust Him even when He allows others to hurt me.

His promise is to always be with me and to fulfill His purposes in the world. And whatever tiny role I get to play in His purposes is a privilege and an honor. I’d rather be a period in the timeline of His story, than to live a pain-free life not knowing whose I am or where I belong.

You can trust God with your story, my friend. His permissibility does not invalidate His love for you. He works for you, through you, and in you despite the stripping.

Don’t let anguish and suffering turn you away from the most amazing relationship you could ever have: intimacy and closeness with the God of history, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Alpha, the Omega.

He is from the beginning, He is at the center of history, and He is at the end, forever to reign and wipe away all tears, sin, and suffering. And He invites you to walk with Him in the here and now. Not trying to lead the way, rather following Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

To meditate:

• How does Joseph’s ability to provide food for his brothers after what they did to him challenge you?
• Are there interpretations of dreams you may need to reconsider? How have they changed over the years?
• Take time to ask the Lord to reawaken any dreams you may have forgotten or misinterpreted.
• Have you had an opportunity to clothe those who stripped you? Were you able to?