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The Joseph Process: Promise Again
By Janine Scott-Lowe, MD.
Genesis 50:24-26: "Soon I will die," Joseph told his brothers, "but God will surely come and get you, and bring you out of this land of Egypt and take you back to the land He PROMISED to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Then Joseph made his brothers PROMISE with an oath that they would take his body back with them when they returned to Canaan. So Joseph died at the age of 110.
Here we are at the end of Joseph's story. The Joseph Process has taken us through many stages--the promise, pit, Potiphar's house, prison, in the presence of Pharaoh, prosperity, penitence, and now, process again. It seems like we have come full circle. We began with a promise, and we end with one. The first was the promise to Joseph that he would be in a place of authority and leadership. Now this promise is where Joseph asks his brothers to take his remains from Egypt after he dies, and bring them back to the land of Canaan (the Promised Land), from which he had originially come. Joseph has indeed gone through a process between the times of the first promise to the second. In the process, he has learned humility and forgiveness. He has learned patience and perseverance. He has ultimately learned about the sovereignty of God, that God is in control, and that what He says DOES COME TO PASS. It is in this second promise that Joseph shows his FAITH in God's promise to his forefathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob); that this land (Egypt) that he was currently in was not his home. Canaan was what was promised and given to the children of Israel, and it would be back to Canaan where Joseph's remains would be returned. Joseph knew that God's promises do NOT change. As He gave them the land originally, it still remained theirs, and He would bring them back to it once again.
May we be as Joseph was. May we go through our own processes, no matter how long they may take, learn the lessons that God wants us to learn in them, and come through them with our faith intact, knowing that our God, and NOT our circumstances, are in control. May we know that all that God has promised to us WILL come to pass. May we stand on His Word to us, knowing that His Word will NEVER fail. As we go through our processes, may we NOT become bitter or vengeful. May we use the gifts and talents that God has given us to help others, and may we walk in forgiveness, compassion, and love, even towards those who may not do the same to us in return.
Thank God for the processes that He takes us through in our lives. Thank Jesus that during these times of sifting, He is praying for us that our faith does not fail, and that, after we come through these times, we will then turn and strengthen and help our brothers. At the end of our processing time, may we ultimately become who God desires us to be, conformed into the image of His Son.
God Bless!
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