Joseph
Check out Joseph’s story: Genesis 37,39-50
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
As we begin to unpack today’s underdog story, we meet Joseph, the youngest of 11 brothers and clearly the favorite of their father. Not a great spot for Joseph to be in to begin with, but tack on top of that special gifts from his father and having prophetic dreams where he rules over his brothers…well, let’s just say Joseph was not well liked by his brothers. At his age of 17, Joseph’s brothers had had enough and decided to get rid of Joseph for good. Most of his brothers wanted to leave him for dead at the bottom of a dried up well, but one brother mustered up enough kindness to sell him into slavery instead. The rest of Joseph’s story is full of ups and downs. Things look like they might be on the upswing for Joseph when he finds favor with his master and is placed in charge of his entire household. But then Joseph is falsely accused of wrongdoing and placed in prison. Once more things look like they might get better for Joseph as his dream interpreting skills come in handy. Alas, he is forgotten, and would spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 years total in prison. Things looked pretty bleak for Joseph for a long time. But he finds favor with the king and soon finds himself in charge of the infrastructure of the whole of Egypt…and Joseph’s losing streak finally comes to an end. God grants Joseph the wisdom to prepare Egypt for a famine and when it hits, everyone from the neighboring areas runs to Egypt and Joseph for help…including Joseph’s brothers. God placed Joseph in just the right place at just the right time to save his entire family and the lives of so many people.
Joseph’s underdog story is a story of trust, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Joseph was willing to stay faithful even when he couldn’t see how anything good could come from his circumstances. He believed that God had a good plan for his life even though things looked pretty bad and so he waited on God to come through.
Can you look back and see where God’s power has been at work in your life in difficult seasons? What in your life seemed impossible but was made possible through God? How is God asking you to step out in faith right now so that His power and His love can be displayed in your life? How is God writing your underdog story?
