Finding God in Difficulty
Genesis 37:14-24
"So he said to him, 'Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.' Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, 'What are you looking for?' He replied, 'I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?' 'They have moved on from here,' the man answered. 'I heard them say, "Let’s go to Dothan." So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.'”
Life has a way of surprising us. Sometimes, the paths we walk are filled with unforeseen challenges, unexpected struggles, and moments of deep discouragement. Just like Joseph, many of us find ourselves in a "Dothan" — a place of hardship and difficulty. It might not be a physical location, but an emotional or spiritual one. It’s that season where everything seems to go wrong, where every door you open leads to another closed one, and you begin to question, Where is God in this?
Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, had dreams of greatness. His future seemed set, a life filled with promise. But as he traveled to check on his brothers in the fields, he was betrayed, stripped of his coat, and thrown into a cistern in Dothan. This place was far from the dreams Joseph had held. Yet, it is precisely in this moment of betrayal and abandonment that God’s plan for Joseph began to unfold.
When life feels like a Dothan — a place where things seem hopeless — it’s crucial to remember that this is not the end of the story. God has not abandoned us, even when we feel like we’ve been forsaken. Joseph, in his darkest hour, could not see what God was doing behind the scenes. But in time, we see that God was orchestrating every event, turning betrayal into a stepping stone toward greatness. What looked like a dead end was actually the beginning of a journey to destiny.
In our lives, it’s often in the valleys, in the moments of difficulty, that God is doing His deepest work. Those seasons shape us, refine us, and prepare us for the future He has for us. We might not understand it in the moment, but just like Joseph, we can trust that God is working even when we can’t see it. The Lord was with Joseph in that cistern, and He is with us, too, in our own moments of difficulty.
Prayer:
Lord, when I find myself in my own "Dothan," in a place of difficulty and discouragement, help me to remember that You are always with me. Even when I can’t see Your hand at work, I trust that You are moving behind the scenes for my good. Open my eyes to see Your presence in the midst of my struggles. May I never forget that You are always working in my life, even when things don’t seem to go according to my plans. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"So he said to him, 'Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.' Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, 'What are you looking for?' He replied, 'I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?' 'They have moved on from here,' the man answered. 'I heard them say, "Let’s go to Dothan." So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.'”
Life has a way of surprising us. Sometimes, the paths we walk are filled with unforeseen challenges, unexpected struggles, and moments of deep discouragement. Just like Joseph, many of us find ourselves in a "Dothan" — a place of hardship and difficulty. It might not be a physical location, but an emotional or spiritual one. It’s that season where everything seems to go wrong, where every door you open leads to another closed one, and you begin to question, Where is God in this?
Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, had dreams of greatness. His future seemed set, a life filled with promise. But as he traveled to check on his brothers in the fields, he was betrayed, stripped of his coat, and thrown into a cistern in Dothan. This place was far from the dreams Joseph had held. Yet, it is precisely in this moment of betrayal and abandonment that God’s plan for Joseph began to unfold.
When life feels like a Dothan — a place where things seem hopeless — it’s crucial to remember that this is not the end of the story. God has not abandoned us, even when we feel like we’ve been forsaken. Joseph, in his darkest hour, could not see what God was doing behind the scenes. But in time, we see that God was orchestrating every event, turning betrayal into a stepping stone toward greatness. What looked like a dead end was actually the beginning of a journey to destiny.
In our lives, it’s often in the valleys, in the moments of difficulty, that God is doing His deepest work. Those seasons shape us, refine us, and prepare us for the future He has for us. We might not understand it in the moment, but just like Joseph, we can trust that God is working even when we can’t see it. The Lord was with Joseph in that cistern, and He is with us, too, in our own moments of difficulty.
Prayer:
Lord, when I find myself in my own "Dothan," in a place of difficulty and discouragement, help me to remember that You are always with me. Even when I can’t see Your hand at work, I trust that You are moving behind the scenes for my good. Open my eyes to see Your presence in the midst of my struggles. May I never forget that You are always working in my life, even when things don’t seem to go according to my plans. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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