Scripture:
Two years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing near the Nile.
So Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed clothes, and appeared before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but no one could interpret it. Then I heard that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, no one is as intelligent and wise as you are. You will be in charge of my kingdom, and all my people will obey your command. Only as the enthroned king will I be greater than you.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Know this: I’ve given you authority over the entire land of Egypt.”
Consider:
I don’t know what Joseph’s brother’s plans were when they threw him down a well. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess they didn’t actually have a plan beyond getting rid of their annoying little brother as if they were throwing away a pebble in the shoe. But insofar as they had a plan, it didn’t end up becoming Pharaoh’s right hand man and the most powerful man in Egypt.
I’m sure there were points in this story where Joseph wasn’t particularly sure where on God’s map he was either. Finding yourself in the bottom of a well, then sold into slavery, then in prison doesn’t feel like you’re headed to the x marks the spot of the buried treasure. I’d imagine Joseph found himself lost in the desert and considered himself abandoned and forgotten.
Except God knew exactly where Joseph was on the map. Joseph’s GPS may have been broken, but God had an eagle eye view of the path and could see where each step Joseph took would take him.
I took the youth group to a corn maze once. This may have been the hardest maze ever constructed because one of the youth advisors in my group was a Green Beret and couldn’t figure out where we were. At one point we stumbled into the middle of the maze, to find a man, standing on a bridge, watching us as we moved about the maze. He was there, it seems, to make sure nobody got too lost or ended up too frustrated and afraid to move forward. He stood on the bridge watching, waiting, ready to offer help when it was needed.
God is like that man on the bridge for us. Not directing every step or placing obstacles in our way or mixing up the paths, but watching, waiting, seeing our progress through this maze of life and ready to offer help when we need it. We may feel lost, but God knows exactly where we are on the map.
Respond:
Christian Hope is built on the repeated telling of stories where God has shown up in the darkest hours throughout history. The stories we read from the Old and New Testaments are meant to help us find and shore up our anchor in the midst of storms.
Where do you feel lost today? Is there a particularly difficult part of your map which has you turned around, frustrated, or confused? Imagine God standing on the bridge, ready to point in the right direction. Where do you think God would be pointing you today?
Pray:
Watching God, we are lost. Not all the time, not everyday, but some days we find ourselves in a maze without a clear sense of where to go next. Help us to find the next step. Remind us to look towards the bridge where you stand waiting and watching. Amen.
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