All of us have times in life when the circumstances of life are so complicated and twisted that we doubt it is possible to sort them out. These are the times when we start to doubt even God’s ability to right a wrong, show us a way through, or unravel things that seem to have gone very wrong. There is no shortage of life situations that leave us frustrated, wondering, and even sometimes doubting God’s ability to intervene.

The story of Joseph is one of those times. Joseph was one of the sons of Isaac, who was the grandson of Abraham to whom God had promised that the world would be blessed through Him. Abraham’s son was Isaac and Isaac’s son was Jacob who had 12 sons, each of whom would become the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel - but that is a story for another day. Joseph was his father’s favorite so the other eleven sons conspired to get rid of him.

The story reads like a Steven King novel. Joseph comes to deliver supplies to his brothers who are out watching the flocks. When he appears, his jealous siblings throw him in a pit and then sell him to a passing caravan who takes him to Egypt to be sold as a slave. In Egypt, he ends up working for a fellow named Potiphar who was a high official in the Egyptian government. Joseph was so honest and dependable that Potiphar puts him in charge of all household affairs. All was well until Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph and, when he refused, accused him of rape which ended with him being thrown into jail. 

While in jail, Joseph again distinguishes himself and the jailer puts him in charge of the other prisoners. Two of those prisoners were the cupbearer and baker for the King of Egypt. When they had a dream, Joseph interpreted the dream: The cupbearer would be pardoned and the baker would be executed. And so it was, but the cupbearer promptly forgot about Joseph until the King himself had a dream and needed someone to interpret it for him. Now after years, the cupbearer remembers Joseph and tells the king there is a fellow who can interpret the dream for him. The king summons Joseph who interprets the dream about seven years of plenty in the land to be followed by seven years of famine. He advises the king to store up food during the years of plenty to be ready for the years of famine. The king subsequently makes Joseph one of his top officials to oversee the storage and distribution of food.

You can’t make this stuff up. But here is the kicker. During the famine, Joseph’s family came to Egypt to purchase food and who do they meet: the brother they had sold into slavery. When he revealed to them who he was he said this. “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (Genesis 45:5-7).

Think about those words. As twisted as their actions and as unfair as Joseph’s journey, God was going ahead of the family to save it from famine and death. God had it all along, even though they and Joseph did not realize it. It is the same in our lives. What looks impossible and twisted to us is still in God’s control if we will simply trust Him and allow Him to do what only He can do. And advent? Through Joseph, God kept Abraham’s descendants alive so that the promised messiah would still come. Advent is all about a God who brings order out of chaos and fulfills His purposes in our lives.

Father, only you could take what was meant for evil and turn it into good. That is what you do. Would you take my circumstances today and do the same. Amen.