"I also saw other things in this life that were not fair. The fastest runner does not always win the race; the strongest soldier does not always win the battle; wise people don’t always get the food; smart people don’t always get the wealth; educated people don’t always get the praise they deserve. When the time comes, bad things can happen to anyone"~Ecclesiastes 9:11 (Easy-to-Read Version - ERV)
Life Is Not Fair - The Story of Joseph
One of my favorite characters in the Bible is Joseph. His
biography is recorded in Genesis 37 through Genesis 45. The story of
Joseph is so important that it is
one of the longest narratives in the Bible. Not only is his story about betrayal and hardship, it is also about remaining faithful to God no matter the circumstances.
When Joseph's brothers sold him into to slavery at the tender age of 17, they intended it for evil, but God intended it for good. Read the summary in Genesis 45.
"Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt."
Joseph's faith and forgiveness are vital lessons for us to emulate. When bad things happen try to look at the situation with "spiritual eyes." For example, Egypt represents sin. Satan (the evil brothers) sold us into sin (slavery). Christ was sent ahead (represented by Joseph) to redeem us (save us from eternal death). ~Romans 6:22
The faith that pleases God is born in a place of deadness... the deadness of all human possibilities. It is a place where man-made plans flourish at first then die. It is a place where human hopes bring temporary relief but soon crash, adding to a sense of helplessness.
Have you been at this place of deadness? Has it seemed like you have no options left? The heavens are like brass when you pray?
God declares to you that HE is at work. His Spirit is working to get you to stop considering the impossibilities. Stop looking to human ways and means, trying to think your way out of your situation. The Holy Spirit is urging you, “Quit hunting for help from some human source. Quit focusing on how hopeless you think your situation is. Those are hindrances to your faith.”
On a deeper level, the Fruit of the Spirit expresses itself as
love, joy, peace, long-suffering
(patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. When our Faith is
low and we experience no inner “blooming,” we feel the lack of something – no joy or peace of mind. ~
Galatians 5:22-23
If you would like more inspiring lessons from the Bible, you're cordially invited to Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group on Facebook or Gab Social
