Perfect Faithfulness

" Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago."                                                          Isaiah 25:1


     Of all the stories in the Bible,  I love the story of Joseph ( Genesis 30-50)  the most.  There are numerous reasons as to why this is my favorite.  Perhaps it is the drama or the intrigue that compels my imagination to ponder the complexities of Joseph's family situation.  It also might be the plethora of emotions I experience when I read this riches to rags to riches story. It is also possible that it is the alluring imagery of a heart that is so willing to forgive, despite the betrayal and cruelty endured.  More than likely, for me it is the beautiful scarlet redemptive thread that is woven so meticulously by a God who is crazy in love with His people.

     For a long time when I read Joseph's story, I focused on the heartache and calamitous events that seemed to overtake his life for nearly fifteen years. From an onlookers perspective,  it is difficult to ascertain what in the world would have caused Joseph to  deserve such disastrous results? God gave Joseph a dream which then led to many shattered dreams. This was the part that perplexed my frail human mind.

     When God showed Joseph His plans through a dream, it appealed to Joseph's self-esteem. The Bible does not say that Joseph was prideful, but it is clear that God motivated him by showing him something he would like. God met Joseph on his level of emotional and spiritual maturity to accommodate for his weaknesses.  The irony is that God speaks to us on our own level to motivate us, and yet it is our self-esteem that needs radical surgery before God can really use us.

     Joseph proves this point by what he did right after God gave him a dream regarding his future.  The first thing he did was to promptly announce to the brothers (who had hated him for years) that they would one day bow down before him. There was already an epic level of sibling rivalry and this announcement did nothing to quell those burning embers. It would be feasible to call this attention-seeking or to see it as possibly driven by the need for his brothers approval.  At the very least, Joseph lacked maturity and wisdom.

     Joseph's real story, however, is one of God's greater glory and the preservation of God's covenant people.  God perfectly orchestrated the fulfillment of every promise He had ever given. When we can see beyond the tangible, it is very clear that God even used the evil intentions of others to bring about the ultimate good that God had always intended.

     What Joseph perceived as set-backs were actually God's positioning  for set-ups in his future.   The real plan was for God's goodness to be showered in his life.  There were many tests that Joseph had to pass and one of them was to be punished for what he did right.  When Potiphar threw Joseph into prison,  it was because he had refused the sexual advances from Potiphar's wife.  When we are called to follow in these footsteps, Peter says it is because "The spirit of glory... resteth upon you" ( 1 Peter 4:14). When God chastens us for doing right and we handle it well, it means that we can be trusted.

     D.L. Moody was sitting on a platform listening to a preacher who said, "The world has yet to see what God can do with one man who is utterly committed to Him." D.L. Moody said in his heart, "I propose to be that man."  Within days of this pledge, both Moody's church and his house burned down. "It is through much tribulation that we enter into the kingdom of God." ( Acts 14:22).

     Our disappointments can become God's appointments in our lives if we allow them to be.  The right perspective for us to have comes when we understand that God is preparing us for service or polishing us to become more useful in His hands. When we cooperate, God will perfect everything that concerns us.  Peter tells us that "the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast." ( 1 Peter 5:10).

     When Joseph was thrown into the prison, God could have chosen to vindicate him immediately but He did not. That is because God was preparing Joseph for something greater. Joseph had lost the battle, but he would ultimately win the war.  It was in this lonely prison cell that Joseph learned that God can bless us no matter where we are.  Yes, even in the midst of circumstances that feel as if they are unredeemable. At these points in our lives,  we have the option to look at our difficult circumstances through a microscope or to back up and view them from the vantage of  God's telescope.

     God allows our difficulties and trials to occur with great intent and purpose.  In the case of Joseph, there were  other things that needed to be learned in this prison cell. Every trial brings the opportunity to reveal something to us about ourselves if we will cooperate with the Holy Spirit.  Joseph still needed to be delivered from self-pity, self-righteousness, and the propensity to manipulate the events in his future. God gave the dreams to the butler and the baker so that Joseph might see himself.  When Joseph interpreted the butlers dream, he still infused himself in an ungodly and untrusting way when he said, "But think on me when it shall be well with you, and show kindness, I pray you, to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house".  ( Genesis 40:14).

     God could have allowed the outcome to happen the way that Joseph had tried to orchestrate. But, He did not because God wanted Joseph to understand that God did not need Joseph's help. Not even a little bit.  Because of these lessons, Joseph remained in prison for two years longer.  (Trying to nudge the arm of providence rarely yields the results we seek.)

     Often, we forget just how detail-oriented God is. While we seek to keep things manageable and comfortable, God prefers to stretch and grow us and cause us to develop a deeper understanding of His perfect love and perfect plans for each of us. God's plans for Joseph's life involved so many other lives and generations of people.  Joseph's view was much too narrow.

     Part of God's plan included a major move for Joseph's father.  Jacob would have to leave Canaan forever, despite the fact that he was almost one hundred years old. But Joseph knew there were five more years of famine and this was God's way of providing for his people. Rather than resisting, we are told that "Israel took his journey with all that he had." ( Genesis 46:1). What determination! What courage!

     Reconciliation and redemption were the plans that God had for Joseph's family. After they were reunited, Joseph showed his family true love and total forgiveness. The immature, egotistical teenager had vanished. Perhaps, the most poignant documented statement of Joseph is found directed toward his family. He said, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as is this day, to save much people alive.  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you and your little ones.  And he comforted them, and spake kindly to them."  (Genesis 50:20-21).

     God provided for Egypt and He provided for Israel during seven years of a harsh famine. God preserved the lineage of His covenant people.  Over and over again, God proved that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Joseph's life, after humiliation came exaltation. However, exaltation did not come until Joseph was fully prepared and could adequately fulfill his position as ambassador of God's: love, forgiveness, and redemption. The timing was flawless.  Every detail was ordained. Every detail was purposeful. Every detail was perfect because God forever executes perfect faithfulness in the lives of His children!


  " Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other."  (Psalm 85:10)