"From pit to Potiphar to prison to Pharaoh's palace..."
"And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more." Genesis 37:5
Joseph's life was one big roller coaster! He had more ups and downs than an elevator operator. But, somehow, Joseph had the ability to deal with his disasters as well as he dealt with his dreams. I have often wished I could do that as well as he did. Perhaps the first stanza of If by Rudyard Kipliing best describes Joseph's calm demeanor in good and bad times:
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; |
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8
How did he keep his head? There's something powerful about faith. Joseph simply trusted the word of God and never stopped doubting in the promises of God. It's something you and I could learn to do instead of losing our patience with the timing of God. We question the strategies of the Almighty and try to replace them with our finite human plans. Keep your eyes on the your Creator and not the circumstances of the moment.
How did he trust his dreams? When everything is going wrong and our family has abandon us and our dreams, we need to continue to trust that we are God's vessel for a lifetime.
"For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one:" Hebrews 2:11
And if that's true, then we've been sanctified for His purpose, not ours. And if that's so, then we have simply got to trust in ourselves and in His plan. Today we would say, "God said it, I believe it, and it's so!" Why do we so easily forget His word? After all, it's forever settled, isn't it? "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." Psalms 119:89
How did he endure Potiphar's disbelief in his honor or the false accusations of immorality? Get used to it; life can be very unfair to all of us! And we should 
never have hope in this life only. We live here, but our hope lies above. Lies definitely hurt; however, the Lord has already promised to take care of all that. Let it to Him; He's better at it than you are.
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Romans 12:19
How did he endure his brothers hatred? Some folks say, "Blood is thicker than water," but not always. Possessions, pride, and power can have a very negative influence on how thick blood really is. So, Joseph decided to trust in the blood of the sacrificial lamb instead of the honesty of his blood relatives. 
So, I'm going to do the same. In good time and in bad times, my faith is still in the blood of the Lamb, not that lamb on an Old Testament altar, but the perfect sacrifice for all sin, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ!
At times, we will all make our way from the pit to Potiphar to prison to the palace, and we would really like to understand why. But if we control our pride, lose our desire for this world's possessions, and put our trust and faith in Him, God will fulfill the dream, fill us with His Spirit, and finish His plan in us, and rescue our family at the same time.
