"Understanding That Life Is Happening for You, Not to You"
"He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him." (Psalm 105:17-19)
God tests and prepares His servants before fulfilling the destiny He has spoken over their lives.
If someone had asked me twenty years ago, "Do you see yourself becoming a pastor?" I would have confidently answered, "Absolutely not."
Yet today, as I look back over my life, I clearly see the invisible hand of God directing every step of my journey. What once seemed like random disappointments, painful setbacks, unanswered questions, and unexpected detours were, in reality, divine preparations leading me to a place I never imagined I would be.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned is this: God often prepares us for a destiny we never planned for ourselves.
The Bible tells the remarkable story of Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons (Genesis 37-50). As a young man, Joseph received dreams from God that revealed he would one day become a great leader. However, while those dreams showed him where he was going, they never revealed how he would get there.
Joseph's dreams never mentioned betrayal.
They never mentioned slavery.
They never mentioned false accusations.
They never mentioned prison.
Nor did they reveal the loneliness, humiliation, confusion, and years of waiting that would precede his promotion.
This is often how God works. Sometimes God gives us a glimpse of our future, not to explain every detail, but to give us enough hope to endure the difficult seasons that lie ahead. Those moments of encouragement become the fuel that keeps us moving forward when life becomes exhausting, confusing, frustrating, and even embarrassing.
Looking back, we eventually realize that every stage of the journey was preparing us for what we would become.
Betrayal by His Brothers
Joseph's preparation began with his brothers' jealousy. Because their father favored Joseph, his brothers hated him. Their hatred became so intense that they plotted to kill him before eventually selling him into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37:18-28).
What seemed like the end of Joseph's life was actually the beginning of God's plan.
Faithfulness in Potiphar's House
Potiphar purchased Joseph, an Egyptian officer, and made him overseer of his household (Genesis 39:1-6). His integrity, diligence, and excellent spirit caused him to prosper so greatly that the Bible says Potiphar entrusted everything he owned to Joseph. Scripture tells us that Potiphar "knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat" (Genesis 39:6).
Joseph's faithfulness during obscurity prepared him for leadership.
Then came another unexpected trial.
Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph after he refused her immoral advances. Although Joseph had done what was right before God, he was imprisoned for a crime he never committed (Genesis 39:7-20).
Prison: Another Classroom
Yet even prison became another classroom in God's preparation. The keeper of the prison recognized Joseph's character and entrusted him with overseeing the other prisoners (Genesis 39:21-23). Once again, adversity became an opportunity for God to develop leadership, wisdom, patience, and faithfulness within him.
While imprisoned, Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler and baker (Genesis 40). At the time, those interpretations seemed to benefit someone else more than Joseph himself.
Years later, however, that very gift would open the door to Pharaoh's palace.
From Prison to the Palace
When Pharaoh dreamed troubling dreams that none of Egypt's wise men could interpret, Joseph was remembered, summoned from prison, and stood before the nation's most powerful ruler (Genesis 41). By faithfully using the gift God had given him, Joseph was elevated from a prison cell to become governor over all Egypt.
Notice what Joseph never had access to during the process: an explanation. He never saw the betrayal coming. He never knew prison would lead to a palace. He simply stayed faithful in Potiphar's house, faithful in prison, and faithful with the gift God had given him. God connected the dots that Joseph could not connect for himself.
This is the same truth I have come to embrace about my own life. Twenty years ago I could not have explained how the disappointments, delays, and detours I walked through would prepare me to shepherd others. I only understood the process in reverse, the same way Joseph did when he stood before his brothers and said, "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good" (Genesis 50:20).
Life is not happening to you. It is happening for you. The betrayal, the delay, the waiting room, and the prison seasons are not proof that God has forgotten you. They are the classroom where He is forming you for a calling you may not yet see.
If you are in a season that feels like Joseph's pit, Potiphar's house, or the prison, do not despise it. Stay faithful where you are. God is not wasting your process. He is preparing your palace.
Pastor Kevin L A Ewing
ewinglakevin@icloud.com
kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
www.kevinlaewing.com
