“May all things happen according to your will,” is a greeting frequently
exchanged during Chinese New Year. As wonderful as that may sound, events turn
out best when God’s will plays out and not mine.
Given a choice, Joseph would not have wished to be a slave in Egypt
(Gen. 39:1). But despite his captivity, he was “successful” because “the Lord
was with [him]” (v.2). The Lord even blessed his master’s home “for Joseph’s
sake” (v.5).
Joseph would never have chosen to go to prison in Egypt. But he did when
falsely accused of sexual assault. However, for the second time we read: “the
Lord was with Joseph” (v.21). There, he gained the trust of the warden (v.22)
so that “whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper” (v.23). His downward spiral
into prison turned out to be the start of his rise to the top position in Egypt.
Few people would choose to be promoted the way God promoted Joseph. But
Joseph’s God blesses, despite, and even through, adverse circumstances.
God had a purpose for bringing Joseph to Egypt, and He has a purpose for
placing us where we are. Instead of wishing that all things happened according
to our will, we could say, as our Savior did before going to the cross, “Not as
I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).
Patient waiting is often the highest way of doing God’s will. (ODB)
