Seeing Past the Prison Bars

  Ever find yourself in a place you don't want to be? Life has many unexpected turns leading us to places we didn't know existed and were not on any maps we owned. God is still God when we come to those places. In the Old Testament we read of a man of impeccable character being put through a series of trials and broken relationships to get him to the place God had prepared for him..... a place of difficulty, but also a place of destiny and deliverance.

  God deals with the big picture. He loves people.... individually and also significantly peoples plural. Sometimes that love brings correction and discipline. In Psalm 105 and verses 16-21 we read of how he worked his providence through Joseph and the people of Israel. "When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.

  Obedience and following God does not immunize us from suffering, pain, turmoil or trial. Joseph was God's man but he went through rejection, pain and many dark nights of the soul on his way to victory and ultimate triumph.  It's through faith ....... and patience that we inherit the promises of God. (Hebrews 6:12) God is taking us somewhere.... and he can be trusted that indeed he knows where he is going and who he is making us to become.  History is not just about events and outcomes. History is also about the shaping of men and women's souls. Romans 8:28, 29 informs us about God's ultimate desire for all of us in life's events, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance and he chose them to be like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters."  God first has to 'call us out' before he can call us into himself. Here Joseph experiences suffering and separation so that God can use him in his perfect plan of redemption for his family and the nation of Israel.  The primary cause of the universe is not our comfort but God's glory. For the believer, the blessed assurance is not a life of ease and comfort, but a life of meaning and purpose under God.  The waiting for God's purpose and plan is often referred to as a test.  Tests reveal what we know.... or what we don't know.  The God kind of test reveals much about who we believe God to be and who we think we are.  We often don't know something until the fire of pain, difficulty, uncertainty and darkness envelopes our soul.

  In Psalm 105 vs 20 we see that there does come deliverance, "The king sent and released him; the ruler of the people set him free.  In God's foresight and providence there does come release and provision. The struggle of waiting and trusting and releasing that timing to him is our paramount test in life. On the other side of the test for those who remain faithful is promotion and fulfillment of God's plan for our lives.  In verse 21, " He made him lord of his house and ruler of his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.

  Adversity is a great teacher. When we yield our pain to a sovereign God we gain the fruit of wisdom and preparation necessary to fulfill our purpose in life.  We might not know the future, but we can know the One who holds it firmly in the grip of his will and plan. The character and faith we need to fulfill our destiny is often forged in the hard places of life. We need to hold onto the God who promises to never leave us and never forsake us. He's always on time, never late. He can be trusted.

Jim