Applying the “WHEN’s” in the Life of Joseph

WHEN!!!! Joseph’s life was full of “when’s”! So is your life! I think that you will gain some insight into what God is doing in your life by discovering the “when’s” in Joseph’s life.

WHEN . . .

. . .others hate you (as Joseph’s brothers did),

• God will criss-cross the blessing and use the scorned one to bless the haters.

(Joseph was the younger and, according to custom, should not have received the blessing, but God raised him up to be a blessing to all of his elder brothers and even the younger one [Benjamin] whom he had never met — all because God criss-crossed the blessing.)

WHEN. . .

. . .others want to kill you,

• God will send you a Reuben (Genesis 37:12-21) and use him to prevent others from taking your life.

(Reuben, the eldest of Jacob’s sons, suggested that Joseph not be killed but that he should be placed in a cistern. His intent was to return later and free his brother. If the enemy is conspiring to take your life, your reputation, your dreams — God says, “There is a Reuben I am raising up for you!”)

WHEN . . .

. . .they reject you (Genesis 37:23-28),

• God will send you the balm of Gilead.

(Joseph was taken from the cistern and sold to a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt to sell merchandise. This could have been a caravan of rocks, sheep, dung — anything —  but it wasn’t!  They were carrying incense, spices and balms from Gilead. Joseph was thrown on the back of a caravan that smelled of the sweet fragrance of heaven  . . . of the sweet fragrance of Yeshua who is often referred to as “the Balm of Giliead.” I don’t know if Joseph missed the presence of this sweet aroma on his way to Egypt. He could have been so engrossed in his troubles and hurt that he could have missed it! Don’t you miss the fragrance He has for you as you journey through your situation!)

WHEN . . .

. . . you’re in slavery (Genesis 37:36)

• God will send you a Potiphar.

(Joseph is now in Egypt and it is not to a cruel person he is sold . . . but to a man who sees his worth and shows him favor so that Potiphar puts to Joseph’s disposal his entire household. Now, Potiphar’s whole house is blessed because of Joseph’s presence. God will send you a Potiphar who will bless you and you, in turn, will bless him. When Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of making advances on her, it will be Potiphar’s love for Joseph that spares his life. Potiphar had him thrown in prison when he could have had him killed. Oooooooo, BUT GOD! This same One who raised up a Potiphar for Joseph and will also for you!”

WHEN. . .

. . . others forget you,

• God will use a dream as an opportunity for someone who forgot you to remember you.

(When Joseph blessed the cupbearer by telling him the meaning of his dream, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him. The cupbearer forgot all about him. Two years later, Pharoah has a dream that none of his astrologers could interpret. Coincidentally — NO! — PROVIDENTIALLY — the cupbearer remembers Joseph and now Joseph finds his way out of the prison. That was God’s idea . . . because when you are to be remembered, He will not let anyone forget!)

PRAYER: Father, we find ourselves in all kinds of situations: hated, plotted against, rejected, forgotten. Thank you that you have a way of escape for us and that whatever the purpose you have for our lives, your will WILL NOT and CANNOT be thwarted! If you have to criss-cross the blessing, you will. If you have to raise up a Reuben–one voice of compassion in the midst of all the others–you will. If you have to give us an indication of your sweet presence even on the vehicle that is taking us into our slavery, you will. If you have use a Potiphar, a cupbearer or a dream to prepare us for our destiny, you will. We yield to your great mercy, your undeniable plan, and your amazing love! Amen.