Do you know the story of Joseph, Jacob’s son, in the bible?  He was the one of 12 brothers who was favored by his dad and given that fancy colorful coat.  Many of you might know the story from the musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.  It’s an awesome show.  My daughter Amanda LOVED the show – especially since her heart throb, Donny Osmond, played the lead back in the day.  I happened to be re-reading the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis this week.  If you didn’t know, Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him that they sold him into slavery and then lied to their dad with a made up story of how Joseph had been killed.

The story of Joseph (spoiler alert!  Read it here first!) is quite the saga as he becomes a slave, then is thrown into prison, and finally makes his way to Pharaohs service due to his ability to interpret dreams (and Pharaoh was having some nightmares!).  Long story short, Joseph saves the lives of the Egyptian people by rationing food before this huge famine so that the people could eat and survive during 7 barren years.  Joseph’s starving family come to Egypt to find food – and they find their long lost brother, Joseph!  Jacob, Joseph’s father is reunited with his favorite son.  Happily ever after! 

Can you imagine poor Jacob, mourning the loss of his favorite son?  Living with that heartache of having your child dead and gone?  And now his whole family is destined to die due to the famine.  The family is reunited, Joseph forgives his brothers, and they have food to eat.  BUT…I think it’s even bigger to think about how Joseph saved so many lives that, had all or most of Egypt starved, it would have changed history so dramatically.  Think of the disruptions to the generations if so many people had not survived? 

In the midst of mourning for a dead son and all the years of pain due to that loss, and now facing the hardship of a food shortage and maybe losing everyone and everything … God ALWAYS had a plan.  Poor Joseph was taken from his family, sold into slavery, imprisoned, and finally found service to the Pharaoh.  Had Joseph stayed at home in a happy family way instead of God leading him to his service to Pharaoh, the famine in Egypt would have taken countless lives and changed history. 

Have you ever had some rotten, sad, down-on-your-luck, bad experiences, and just plain old awful years?  Well, praise God!  Seriously.  Have you ever looked back on a bad day, or an awful week, or a trying year or years?  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11.

Tell me about your bad times that have turned good.  My daughter Amanda was born with many medical problems (read about it here) but the joy and growth and blessings that God worked through her are amazing!  And talk to me about losing a job … to only find a better one.  Think of your plans and how God changed them … and you were devastated … and then it all worked out way better than you could’ve imagined. 

God ALWAYS has a plan.

just Laurel