Smooth Future

Smooth Future

December 31, 2018

Genesis 37:7 "We were binding sheaves in the field. All of a sudden my sheaf rose up and stood upright, and your sheaves stood around it and bowed down to my sheaf."

The life  of Joseph, son of Jacob, started out as favor and privilege and then traveled through much heartache before finally having his life restored. His life was not a gradual path with a steady increase.  In fact, Joseph had no stability whatsoever. His life was nothing but a roller coaster, with heartache and joy and heartache and joy. He had a dream in his teenage years, a promise and a glimpse from the Lord for his future. The dream was that one day his father and brothers would have to bow down to him in respect. The promise was from the Lord, and would be fulfilled, but the path to get there was never disclosed by the Lord. 

It was no surprise to the Lord when Joseph's brothers were jealous of Joseph's future. It was no surprise to the Lord when his brothers sold Joseph in slavery. While no one wants to think that Joseph being put into slavery was part of the Lord's design, you have to know that the Lord had His hand in it. The Lord knew what was going to happen, protected Joseph in it, but allowed it nonetheless. Joseph, in slavery, before being elevated to the status of a king, was never outside the Lord's reach. Joseph was also never outside the Lord's plan, though the incredible hardship. The Lord was able to pluck Joseph out of that rotten awful situation and still fulfill His promises to Joseph, still fulfill Joseph's destined appointments. My guess is that not only was the Lord able to pluck Joseph from slavery and elevate him to that status of a king, but He was able to use the horrible experiences to shape him into the man he became.

Like Joseph, your path is not going to be smooth. Your future is there, already written by the Lord, a promise that maybe He has not revealed to you yet. But just because He has written the destination, does not mean to path is going to be smooth. It is possible the road is bumpy by design. It may feel like a roller coaster, but as long as you stay true to the Lord, He will remain true to you and the plan that He has for you, if will come to fruition. Your future is there, just that the path may not be smooth.

As you look into what this next year could hold for you, it is possibly you are hoping for a smooth path upward. This next leg of your journey may certainly look like that. This next leg of your journey to the Lord's complete fulfillment for your life may look like a broken road, but none of it matters. What matters is your relationship with the Lord and your intent to remain true to Him. Don't make plans this year you have no control over, instead make plans to deepen your walk and relationship with the Lord. If you do that, what happens this year won't matter, roller coaster up or roller coaster down. If you don't deepen your relationship when the leg of the road seems broken, then how are you going to deepen your relationship with the Lord when the path feels like euphoria. My guess for Joseph, is that the prison sentence of slavery was a test for his character, whether or not Joseph would serve the Lord regardless of circumstances. If Joseph couldn't serve the Lord in the jail cell, how was Joseph going to serve the Lord as a king?

Remember Joseph's initial dream. In it Joseph rose in stature above his father and brothers, as the Bible says, "all of a sudden." Your path can take a turn at a moment's notice.

May the Lord bless your path this year, full of relationship with Him regardless of what the path looks like.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Gen 37-46, Deut 31:6, John 15:4-7, Heb 13:5-6