The Season You're in a Hurry To Leave Behind Still Has Purpose

If you've been internally wrestling with the season of life that God currently has you in, I wanted to share something from last Sunday's sermon that stuck with me: Joseph thrived in every season of trial he encountered because God hadn't forgotten about Him.

Joseph's story started out very promising. He was the son of Jacob and Rachel, who had waited and prayed for a child for so long that when they finally got him, they spoiled him rotten. This stirred up jealousy in his brothers, who hated him so much that they sold him into slavery. If that wasn't bad enough, while he was enslaved, Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison, where he remained for a couple more years. He eventually got released from prison and became second-in-command over Egypt, but 13 years passed between the time he was betrayed by his brothers and the time he stepped into the leadership role God had planned for him to be in.

It's easy to look at Joseph's story and question where God was during those 13 years, but the fact that he found favor in every season of trial he endured shows that God was with him the whole time.

Genesis 39:2-4 tells us that while Joseph was a slave in Potiphar's house:

"The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned."

And when Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison:

"The Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed."~ Genesis 39:21-23

While the trials you and I are dealing with are hopefully wayyy different than the ones Joseph encountered, I think it's fair to say that we can relate to being in situations that we would have never imagined we would find ourselves in. And sometimes, when we linger in those spaces and God allows those seasons to last longer than we would like, it's easy to start to feel forgotten by God. Joseph's story shows us that sometimes the trials that you wouldn't have wished on your worst enemy are the exact pathways that the Lord uses to launch you into your destiny.

Joseph was destined to be second-in-command over Egypt so that when the time came, He could help out the same brothers who betrayed him. He told them in Genesis 50:20, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people."

God has you where you are for a reason. Don't be so focused on what should have been that you miss the way God is blessing you in this season. Just like the Lord was with Joseph in his seasons of trials, He is with you in yours too.

Check out the sermon that inspired this reflection on Joseph's life: