Embracing the past and suffering for the mission God has given you now

 Read Genesis 41

You know the story.  God has revealed to the Pharoah of Egypt through Joseph, Son of Jacob, that there will be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. The only guy around who could handle getting the country ready to endure this was Joseph.

Yes, dreamer boy Joseph who earned the scorn of his brothers was the one.

Yes, Joseph the slave was the man for the job.

Yes, Joseph who was doing time in the Pharoah’s prison was the perfect pick.

You da man, Joseph!

Joseph could have been bitter.  He could have said, “Let’s all just die.  I’m going back to my cell.”  He could have thrown a pity party but he did not.

He went to work. People moved out of his way when he was going somewhere.  Joseph was the man in all of Egypt.

If you have ever been on a U.S. naval vessel, you had better understand one phrase for sure:  Gangway!

Gangway can be a raised walkway or passage, but most of the time it means get out of the way.

If the CO or XO shouts gangway, then you had better melt into the bulkhead.  The CO needs to be where he is headed yesterday.

Any senior officer can shout gangway and people should move, but generally, it’s the commanding officer or his second in command who needs to be somewhere immediately.

There is another group of people who can use the command.  They are the security Marines aboard aircraft carriers.  If security is called to any point on the vessel, the Marines need to be there immediately.

Sailors and Marines don’t always get along that well, especially when they are couped up for several months sharing the same spaces at sea.  Sailors significantly outnumber Marines on carriers.  So when security is called to any area, Marines yell gangway and start moving.

If you are not part of the bulkhead, you will be. Imagine being a 19-year-old hard charger couped up in this metal contraption at sea.  You need to let out your frustration.  A sailor who doesn’t get out of the way works just fine.  That dude is getting run over.

When Joseph was headed anywhere, people got out of the way of his chariot.  This wasn’t just any rich guy with his Mercedes.  This was Joseph and he was on a mission to save the country.

Joseph was on a mission from God.

He was on a mission from God!

And Joseph was about the Lord’s business.  He was charged by God through the Pharoah to save the country.  Pharoah was surely not a man who knew the one true God, but he must have known of him and he must have realized that the Spirit of this God lived within Joseph.

So, Joseph was about his business, but do you think he was happy?  Do you think he was waiting for the other shoe to drop?

Why would he think this?

Coat of many colors—the scorn of his brothers.

Siblings bowing down to him—thrown in a hole and sold into slavery.

In charge of Potiphar’s household—thrown into prison for something he didn’t do.

Was Joseph just waiting for the inevitable negative event that would send him to rock bottom again?

I say not.  I think he embraced what God had given him and didn’t look back.  How do I know?

Joseph had 2 kids.  OK, and…

Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Joseph named his kids what he did because God made him forget the troubles of the past and embrace the prosperity that followed his hard times.

Do you remember me telling you that one of our lessons from the story of Joseph was to be faithful to God and do your best? Joseph knew that he had been through some stuff but now he was able to put the trials of his past behind him and embrace his situation.

His situation was not necessarily easy.  I’m sure he had all the comforts of wealth but he was on a mission from God.

Joseph was in the right place at the right time to do the things God had planned for him in advance and Joseph was good with that.  He could have carried a chip on his shoulder.  He could have thrown a pity party.  He could have just saved the part of the country where the Pharoah lived and kicked back and enjoyed life.

But he embraced his assignment and he was good with the path that got him where he was.

I like to watch some science fiction now and again.  The time machine shows and movies usually interest me.  What would happen if someone went back in time and changed even the smallest thing?

I’ll watch a movie about time travel if it appears interesting.  Sometimes after watching a time travel movie that didn’t live up to its billing, I wish I could go back in time and unwatch it.

Who cares about going back in time?  Have you ever wanted to undo something in your past?  Were there one or two things that you would have not done if you got a do-over?  Was there an opportunity that passed by that you would have liked another shot at?

You think that Joseph might have skipped the trip to visit his brothers tending the flocks and not been thrown in a hole.

You think that Joseph might have just gone along with a roll in the hay a few times with Potiphar’s wife, just to not have to deal with her scorn.

But Joseph embraced his past and his suffering and now embraced where it landed him.  He was the second most powerful man in Egypt, probably in the whole region and he was on a mission from God.

We know that Joseph embraced his role in God’s plan by the names he gave his kids.

Do we embrace our part in God’s plan?  How do we know?

Do we long to change things in our past or do we move forward in faith?

Do we trust in the Lord or is our doubt a stumbling block to others?

Do we wait patiently upon the Lord or are we constantly asking God, why, when, how?

Are we ready to respond to the Spirit that lives within us or do we put in our earplugs because God’s Spirit might lead us out of our comfort zone?

I don’t expect anyone to rename their kids, but I challenge you to accept the life path, struggles, victories, lessons learned, your ups and downs, arguments and agreements, and other factors that might seem to confound in the moment as part of the preparation that you have been given to do God’s will.

Once you have accepted that, I challenge you to embrace all of these experiences and be ready to do what God has in store for you.

Amen.