Joseph - When Life Goes Wrong

Many of us imagine life to be, if not easy, then at least straightforward. We’ve been conditioned to think like this. Growing up, we were repeatedly told we could ‘be anything we wanted to be.’ We hope, dream, wish and – crucially – expect things to fall into place for us too.  

There are few things more painful than having hopes dashed and dreams wrecked. There are also few things more confusing. Where is God in all of this? I thought he was meant to be in charge? I thought he was supposed to love me? 

Most of us will find, at some point, life diverts horribly from the track we’d imagined it might take. We cannot see the way back, let alone the way ahead. Fortunately, at moments like these, there are those who can direct us because they have, in a sense, been there before us. This reading is about one such guide: his name is Joseph.  

It’s possible to read Joseph’s story as a tale of rags to riches: the miraculous transformation of the eleventh son of an Israelite farmer into the Prince of Egypt. If we do this, though, we filter out the terrible pain and suffering that Joseph experienced on the way to fulfilling his God-given dreams. Joseph had to endure tremendous trials: utter betrayal by his brothers; 13 dark years of slavery and wrongful imprisonment. Joseph knew more than most about life going wrong.  

The first question most of us ask when life goes wrong is ‘God, where are you?’

God being with us does not prevent bad things from happening; he is not a good luck charm. And our suffering does not mean God has abandoned us – far from it!  

When we ask, ‘Where is God in Joseph’s life?’ the Bible gives us a remarkable answer. Joseph’s tale accounts for a total of 419 verses. How many tell us where God is? Just two.  

Throughout Joseph’s 93-year story we are only explicitly told twice that God was with him. These are not, as we might expect, at the high-points of Joseph’s life. Instead, they are during the loneliest and most painful seasons of his life. The first was when he was a slave, the second when he was a prisoner.  

God wants to make the point: it is in our slavery and in our prison, that he is particularly near. It has been the experience of many that when we are suffering we discover that God is very close.  

The story of Joseph is the story of a God at work behind the scenes. He does not dictate at every point – he allows people to make mistakes and to face the consequences. This is how children grow up. At the same time, the heavenly Father sees the bigger picture. He guides his children with love and power.  

Life may have gone wrong for you. You might have been through a terrible break up, you may have lost a job or someone you loved, you might have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Lesson One: God is With Us.  

Lesson Two: When life goes wrong, we can either turn from God and grow bitter, or to God and get better. Suffering will always change us, but it won’t always change us for the better. We have to choose that by turning to God.  

We cannot control the hand we get dealt in life. We can decide how we respond. When hurt goes deep there is only one hope we have of being able to forgive: we turn to God, and ask for help.  

The Blessing of Suffering. That doesn’t make sense unless you know the God of Scripture.  

God does not cause our suffering, but he works his purpose through it. Suffering is the only way we develop perseverance. The prize of perseverance is this: that we might be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  

If you are going through a difficult time, it can be hard to know how to keep going.  

Many of us can become so overwhelmed by the pain we are experiencing that we lose sight of the Lord of love and power who is sovereignly at work. He will work the evil for good as we keep going. It may astonish us what will happen if we take another step and another, one day at a time.