It’s hard to imagine what went through Joseph’s mind as he was sold into slavery.
Imagine a group of foreign slave traders throwing you into the back of an oxcart, shackles placed firmly around your wrists, as they then hand over a few hundred bucks to your brothers who clearly valued that cash more than your existence (Genesis 37:28).
Imagine the thoughts as you trundled towards a land that was hundreds of miles from anything you’ve ever known. The only certainty in your future was pain, humiliation, and, most likely, an early death.
Feeling optimistic yet?
Whether justified or not, Joseph was always the one who seemed overly confident in his relationship with God. He had no problem communicating his dreams of supremacy to his family, who resented him for it. His brothers almost even murdered him for it.
Joseph’s journey then, was a bit of a mixed bag. His confidence in God was there, but the reality of his present condition stared him right back in the face. What would happen?
Fortunately, the Bible tells us that Joseph was sold into the household of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. Genesis 39:2 tells us that the Lord was with Joseph and he became a “successful man.”
So successful, in fact, that Potiphar saw the hand of God working alongside Joseph. He recognized that everything Joseph was in charge of prospered — not because of who Joseph is, but because of who God is.
Statements like that make me wonder if people would say the same about me. I’m not worried about financial prosperity or a glowing reputation, but whether or not people see God in me.
For instance, when people see whatever I accomplish, how I act, how I speak, do they see God or do they see me?
It’s not just success that can point people towards God, but difficulties too. Joseph had arguably the most difficult future that any of us can face, and yet Potiphar saw God even in those dire circumstances.
Would people say that about me, too?
