Joseph: The Blueprint for Perseverance

The Bible is a book that details the lives of countless men and women who persevered through the most desperate, daunting and depressing situations until they received the promises of God.

One such account is evident in the life of Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob whose life was used to save an entire nation. Joseph’s story goes way beyond a tale of jealous brothers or a colored coat. It serves as an ideal illustration of the importance of not giving up.

If we only understood that challenges are meant to build and not break us, we would be much more willing to persevere through tough times like Joseph.

Who was Joseph?

The wise leader was one of Jacob’s 12 sons, and because his mother gave birth to him during his father’s old age, Joseph became his favorite. This made his older brothers envy him, a fact that was made worse when Joseph shared his dreams with them, revealing  he would eventually be their ruler.

If you’re not familiar with the popular tale, the jealousy of Joseph’s brothers drove them to put him in a pit and conspire to kill him.

However, after some consideration, they decided to sell him into slavery and make it appear as if he had been mauled to death by a wild animal. Joseph was then taken to Egypt where he eventually became a steward to one of Pharaoh’s guards called Potiphar.

The trials of Joseph

Genesis chapter 39 tells us the Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Still, though things appeared to be looking up for Joseph, he was faced with another obstacle when he was put in prison after being falsely accused of rape.

Although she persistently pressured him, Joseph persevered in the midst of temptation and ignored her advances.

Here’s the shocking part, even though he refused to betray his master or sin against God, Potiphar’s wife leveled false accusations against him which eventually landed him in prison. Imagine, Joseph did the right thing by refraining to partake in adultery, but his noble conviction got him demoted. 

It would be reasonable to believe Joseph was traumatized having been separated from his family. Not to mention, he was probably reeling from being taken to a foreign land to be used as forced labor.

The thing that really stands out, is the fact that every time Joseph got a slight glimmer of hope, it was quickly buried by another bout of crushing disappointment.

Joseph's response to constant difficulty

Still, Joseph kept going and even in a dungeon he found himself gaining favor with the jailer’s guard and being placed in charge of the rest of the prisoners. In jail, he met Pharaoh’s butler and baker and later interpreted their dreams. Although he asked the men to remember him when their dreams came to pass, he was still forgotten. 

Amazingly, Joseph, who found himself in these undesirable situations through no fault of his own, did not give up or allow bitterness to consume him. Instead, he strengthened himself in the Lord and kept going. Two years later, he interpreted a dream for Pharaoh which led to his appointment as the second highest official in all of Egypt. This job not only gave him double for his trouble, but also reunited him with his family and allowed him to save them from famine.

Importance of Persevering

God placed a desire to lead in Joseph’s heart from a very young age, but his vivid visions would not come to pass until years later after he was tried and tested. This was done to produce the character and skillset Joseph needed to thrive in his calling.

As prime minister of Egypt, Joseph’s main task was to ration the grain in the land to ensure the country was not devastated by famine. The years he spent working as a slave in the field for Potiphar increased his knowledge in agriculture.

Not to mention, the positions he held in Potiphar’s household, and even in the depths of a dungeon, also trained him to be a responsible leader who was not easily swayed by temptation.

The incessant misfortunes he was forced to endure also gave him an unwavering compassion for the overlooked, less fortunate and enslaved. But none of this would have been achieved if Joseph had not persevered.

The Takeaway

God doesn’t cause evil, but He does take the things the enemy uses to harm us and turn it for good. The series of unfortunate events Joseph had to endure were ultimately fuelled by his brothers’ jealousy, but if they had not conspired to get rid of him, he probably would have never gone to Egypt, and of course, the nation of Israel and the Bible would have not existed.

In that same light, people may have done things to scar or deplete our sense of self-worth; however, God may very well be using the hurtful events in our lives to shape us into the people He needs us to be. Who knows, maybe our experiences will be able to save others going through a similar situation long after we are gone. 

Ultimately, the story of Joseph teaches us that it is never too late to be used by God. Perhaps you, or someone you know, is struggling with the negative consequences of reckless decisions made in the past; however, there is no reason to allow past regrets to discourage you.