Have you ever asked “why?”
Within the life of Joseph we find many “why” questions.
- Why did God allow Joseph to be sold into slavery and then sent to prison for a crime he did not commit?
- Why didn’t one of Joseph’s brothers confess their evil deed against him to their father?
- Why didn’t God reveal to Jacob in a dream or some other form that Joseph was still alive?
The list can and does go on. In the same token, we might also question why God allows difficulties to come into our own lives?
To be honest, we won’t have answers to all of these questions but we can rest assured that God sees the big picture. God had a plan for Joseph. Satan obviously knew there was something special about Joseph so he tried to destroy him.
Satan also knows there is something special about you and he will try to destroy you too. Focus on the word try. He won’t succeed as long as you are walking in full obedience to God.
…
Once, while coaching a basketball game, the ball got stuck on the rim. Trying to help, I jumped to knock the ball loose. When I landed, I discovered I could not stand up. I grabbed my knees and realized my knee caps were in the wrong place. I fell to the floor and told the referees to call 911. After being examined by an orthopedic surgeon, I was given bad news. I had torn both of my quadricep muscles and needed surgery as quickly as possible.
While I have asked “why?” many times in my life before, this time I did not. Ephesians 6 tells us that it’s not if a time of testing will come but when.
Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand”
With this in mind, I decided that I was going to hold onto Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
After knee surgery I asked God what He wanted me to learn from this accident. He led me to James 1:2–4:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I read, reread, and meditated on those verses and then got revelation.
I had persevered through a major injury and did not lose my faith, and now God wanted me to persevere so I could continue to be a mature Christian.
No matter our questions of why, as long as we know we have heard from God, we must persevere. Trials produce perseverance, and in allowing perseverance to complete its work we are led to maturity and completion. God will use every situation in our lives to accomplish that.
In spite of the challenges, God had great plans for Joseph. He not only protected Joseph during the journey, He also made him prosper and God will do the same for you.
Today don’t focus on your “why?”, focus on God and watch Him turn the negative “whys” in your life into positive ones.