The Highs and the LowsSample

Joseph (The Lows)

Today, we’re going to start with “Joseph the Dreamer''. Joseph was the second youngest of 12 brothers and his dad’s favourite (just imagine the sibling rivalry!). Joseph’s dad loved him so much that he got him a special multicoloured coat, and on top of that, God blessed Joseph with dreams and visions. One of those dreams included all his brothers and both his parents bowing down to him. So jump into the shoes of Joseph’s brothers, your dad’s got him an expensive Canada Goose Jacket, and now he is telling you that God’s saying he’ll rule over you (you’d probably be a bit annoyed).

So what do his brothers do? They devise a plan to take him out. As they spot him from a distance, they devise the idea to kill him and tell their dad he was murdered by a wild animal (a bit of an extreme reaction - you probably wouldn’t plot to kill your younger sibling). But at the last minute, his oldest brother Reuben convinces his younger brothers to spare Joseph and instead suggests that they throw him into a pit to rescue him later and return him to their dad.

So picture this, you’re at the bottom of the pit and feel as though you have done nothing to wrong your siblings, but because of their jealousy, you’ve been rejected from your family and are on the verge of being sold into slavery and all the promises God has made you feel so distant. When we continue reading Joseph's story, we read that he had many seasons of “The Lows” (being sold by his brothers, being lied about in the house of his master, ending up in prison, and the promises from those he helped being forgotten).

Many of us might give up and decide that God has abandoned us, but when we continue reading the story, we learn “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered” (Genesis 39:2). I’d assume that Joseph must’ve believed that because he continually tried to live righteously in whatever pit he found himself in (literally).

As you continue today, think about times when people have wronged you.

Questions

Q: Are you letting those experiences affect your knowledge of God’s goodness in your life?

Q: Do you let your unforgiveness for those people change your behaviour?

Q: Is our faith influenced by our circumstances or our knowledge of God?

Prayer: Thank you, God, for being with me in all areas of my life, both the highs and the lows. I pray that when I go through periods of betrayal or mistreatment by those I hold close to me, I will cling to my identity in you. I pray for a heart to show compassion to those who don’t show compassion to me and that others would see your goodness through that. In Jesus’ name

Amen