When Things Get Worse

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 [The Living Bible]

Sometimes when things start to go wrong in our life we kind of sit back and wait for the good things to start happening again. That’s how I feel sometimes. I think, well, everyone has to have some problems so I’ll deal with this one and pretty soon things will turn around. That’s usually what happens then.

But sometimes things don’t turn around that fast. That’s how it was for Joseph. He thought the worst part was over. The Ishmaelites had bought him to sell him as a slave. When they arrived in the city where the king of Egypt lived, they sold him to an officer in the king’s army.

Joseph was very sensible about it. He must have been horrified that his own brothers would sell him. But he realized he was a slave now and there was nothing he could do about it. He decided to be obedient to his master and to be the best slave he could be.

His master, Potiphar, liked him. He was a very rich man and had a lot of servants. Joseph soon learned the language of the Egyptians and worked hard. God was with Joseph, caring for him, protecting him and blessing him. He could have been sold as a laborer doing heavy construction work. Usually those slaves didn’t live long because the work was so hard. But God took care of Joseph and Potiphar put him in charge of his household. He was even the caretaker of his master’s money.

So Joseph thought the worst was over. Then something even worse happened. Potiphar’s wife lied about him and told his master Joseph had done wrong. Potiphar believed her and had Joseph thrown into prison.

Joseph must have been frustrated that God allowed this to happen to him because he loved and served God. In prison the jailer noticed Joseph was a pleasant, obedient prisoner and decided to put him in charge of all the other prisoners. God was preparing him for a big job in the near future.

Remember the dreams Joseph had while he lived at home? Well, one day two of Pharaoh’s servants were thrown into prison with Joseph. They each had a dream during the same night. They were very upset because the dreams were so real and they didn’t know what they meant. Joseph asked them to tell him their dreams and told them that God would tell him what they meant.

The chief butler proceeded to tell Joseph his dream. “I saw a grape-vine that had three branches. The buds shot forth and became blossoms. The blossoms became clusters of grapes. I squeezed juice out of the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup like I used to do.”

God gave Joseph the meaning of his dream. So Joseph told the butler. He said that the three branches were three days. In three days the king would ask the butler to come back and work for him again. Then Joseph begged the butler to remember him and tell Pharaoh how Joseph had been wronged.

Now, the other servant, the baker, was encouraged. He had heard that good things were going to happen to the butler. So he told Joseph his dream too.

“In my dream, there were three baskets on my head. In the top one there were baked goods for the king. But while I held them, the birds came and ate all the baked goods.” The chief baker waited to hear what Joseph would say.

God also told Joseph what that dream meant. He felt sorry for the baker but he had to tell him.

“Three baskets mean three days. In three days the king will take you from prison and hang you and the birds will eat your flesh.”

In three days it happened exactly as God had told Joseph it would. Pharaoh had a big party for his birthday. He restored the chief butler to his position in the palace and he disposed of the baker just like Joseph said.

Do you think the butler remembered to tell Pharaoh Joseph’s story? No, he didn’t. You would think that the butler would be so appreciative that Joseph told him the meaning of his dream that he would remember to help Joseph too. But the Bible says he forgot. He just got so busy, he forgot.

God didn’t forget about Joseph though. God was planning something very big for Joseph. Only Joseph didn’t know that. I’m sure he must have wondered, “But, God, what about me? Why do you help that butler, but not me?”

Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel that all the wonderful things are happening to people around you but you’re missing out?

God is preparing some very special good plans for you too. God loves you. The Bible says we, His children, are the apple of His eye. That means He wants the very best for us. Maybe there are some things we need to learn first and things have to fall into place. Like Joseph, we just need to keep obeying and trusting Him.

Memory verse for this week:

“And this is what God says we must do; Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” 1 John 3: 23 [The Living Bible]

Going Deeper as Parents:

This reminds me of the time there was a famine during King David’s reign. This story is recorded in 2 Samuel 21. After three years of famine David finally asked the Lord what was going on. And God told him. He said the famine had come because Saul and his family had broken their agreement with the Gibeonites and killed them.

King David worked out an agreement with the Gibeonites and God heard their prayers, and ended the famine.

I wonder why David took so long to inquire of God. But do we do that too?
We think, oh well, bad things happen to everyone. I’ll wait it out.

Maybe we need to examine the situation. Maybe we need to examine our lives. Like David, and like Joseph, God has the answer for us. Maybe God doesn’t bless us to the extent he blessed Joseph and David, but God loves us and we can hope in His goodness.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik’s Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com