by Raenell Jones

There are so many songs that talk about things getting better over time. We sing these songs in the melodies of our lives as we are reminded we are still here by the grace of God. One pioneer in the Bible speaks of this and that is Joseph.

Joseph was favored by his father, Jacob and God. Joseph received a special colorful coat from Jacob signifying his love for his son. The colorful cloak represented power, royalty and authority. Also, God pronounced a promise over Joseph’s life with dreams of power and success. Yet, even with all these promises from God, Joseph had a season of rejection, humility, testing, and perseverance. I would call this the four seasons of life. You will find yourself either in the pit, Potiphar’s house, the prison or in the palace.

The word says that his brothers hated him even more when Joseph received a coat from his father. The spirit of rejection can be hurtful and sometimes not even deserved. God revealed dreams of Joseph’s future and success and that his brothers were subject to him. More hatred evolved after this dream. Joseph’s lesson teaches us that everyone will not have your enthusiasm of what God has in store for you and be careful who you tell your dream to. It came to the point at just the sight of Joseph that his brothers sought to kill him. A person in leadership will not always be appreciated, but this was extreme. Yet, Joseph ended up in the pit. We hate the fact we are in the pit, but thank God or enemies did not win. Sometimes we must praise God it was just the pit.

Joseph was pulled out of the pit by some unlikely rescuers, Midianite traders are usually enemies to the Israelites. This is a reminder never to limit who God will send to help you. We can reject the blessings God has because the package is not what we would expect.

The next season for Joseph was at Potiphar’s house. As soon as Joseph was put in charge of Potiphar’s affairs, the blessing was on the household. There are seasons you are in place to help others and there is no benefit to you. You may be an employee and you recognize the company is flourishing because of you. We may not get the recognition, but God recognizes and has us there for purpose. Nevertheless, even in Joseph’s faithfulness, he had to experience false accusations. You may have done everything right on your job and you still get laid off or fired. This can be a devastating experience, but God has the last word. Even if you find yourself in the prison of despair.

Joseph went to prison and still the favor of the Lord was on him. He was in charge and helped others. He took the time to use his gifts of interpreting dreams, yet he was forgotten. People can use you and forget about you, but God will never forget us. He said He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Eventually, Joseph was in demand because of his gift. A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men (Proverbs 18:16). Pharaoh needed Joseph to interpret the dream that declared a famine was coming to the land and how to manage this difficult season. Joseph knew about difficult seasons and with the favor and the wisdom of God operating in Joseph’s life, he was in the place he dreamed of years ago. During the famine he was set in position to help the very ones that tried to hurt him. When God raises us up to the palace we must have the same attitude as Joseph. Joseph said, "You may have meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).

Joseph is a great example for us to continue on no matter the turbulent season we may face in life. We all must be reminded that seasons change and God can still favor us no matter what situation we may experience.

 ©Raenell Jones