Weekly Devotion #11
A worn path provides direction
Thousands of year ago Moses tells us a story about Joseph in Genesis chapters 37 – 50. This is a wonderful way to teach us about how our personal relationship with God is so important. The reflection of Joseph’s life is rich with lessons we can apply to our lives today.
God takes Joseph on a path that no one expected. Not even him.
The story begins with Joseph telling his brothers and family about his dream of ruling over them. Although we don’t know if Joseph intended to be arrogant and prideful, we do know that he incited jealousy and hatred in his brothers, who were already envious. Consequently, his own brothers planned to kill him. They stripped Joseph of is colored tunic, threw him into a pit, and ended up selling him into slavery.
Have you had moments in your life where you felt like you were discarded, abused or left alone?
Just like Joseph, those moments were most likely some of the most sorrowful points of your life. But God did not leave Joseph in the pit. He had a path He wanted him to follow. The Bible tells us God was with him. We have a God that will walk beside us in our darkest times. In the “pits” of our lives. When we are in these seasons of time, we need to realize God has not abandoned us! He needs to put us there for many reasons.
Are we too prideful?
Are we unknowingly stepping in a wrong or dangerous direction?
Does He need us to minister to someone else with the same problem we are facing?
Only God knows the future. Psalm 37:23 tells us that “God directs the steps of the Godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”
We should be asking Him, Lord, what do you want me to learn here? We need to be praying and talking to God daily, not just when we are in the pits of our lives. We should be asking Him: “Why am I here Lord?” We should be openly and honestly expressing our feelings to Him: “I’m afraid. I’m overwhelmed. I’m lonely. God, please reveal yourself to me in this situation! Show me the direction of where you want my next step to go. Where is my path?”
He wants us to draw closer to Him! He wants us to turn away from our self-sufficiency and rely on Him!
Jacob, Joseph’s father, thought Joseph was dead.
God is our Father. He wants us to be alive in relationship with Him!
As we walk toward the Easter celebration, let us remember that Jesus came to us, died, and was resurrected to cover our sin and to have personal relationship with us.
The path God has for us is well worn. Different for each of us, but similar in that God is with us.