Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh." His brothers listened to him. Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt. Genesis 37:26–28 WEB.

Very few of us had brothers as bad as Joseph. They became so jealous of him, his dreams, and his coat of many colors that they decided to kill him when he met them in the field alone. "Come now therefore, and let's kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil animal has devoured him.' We will see what will become of his dreams" (Genesis 37:20). With a family like that, you sure don't need enemies.

Reuben, the eldest brother, wanted to rescue Joseph. At first, they compromised by throwing Joseph into a cistern, and then they sat down and ate lunch. While the brothers ate their meal, Joseph was scared and alone in a hole in the ground until a group of traders came by heading for Egypt. When Judah saw them, he had an epiphany and said, "Hey, let's sell him to those merchants! We will make nothing by killing him. After all, he is our own brother…."

So they sold Joseph into slavery for twenty pieces of silver. Then they dipped his coat of many colors in goat blood and brought it to his father, who had once used a goat to deceive his father (Genesis 27:16). They asked him, "Is this your son's coat?" They didn't even use his name or call him their brother (Genesis 37:32), and they led their father Jacob to believe that a wild animal had killed Joseph.

Meanwhile, Joseph was carried to Egypt by the traders and sold to Potiphar, the captain of the guard. God was with Joseph, he prospered, and soon he was in charge of Potiphar's entire household. Over time, Potiphar's wife became infatuated with young Joseph and tried to seduce him day after day, but he refused. Joseph told her, "There is only one thing in this house that I can't have, and that is you." Unlike Eve, Joseph did not see the one forbidden fruit as a point of frustration, and he left her alone.

Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned, and as time passed, she grew weary of his rejection. Finally, one day when Joseph was working in the house, and they were alone, she grabbed Joseph's garment and tried to drag him into her bed. Joseph nimbly slipped out of his garment and ran out of the house, leaving his garment with her! She held onto it, and when her husband came home that afternoon, she showed him Joseph's garment and told him that Joseph had tried to rape her. So Joseph was sent to prison.

God was with Joseph in prison (Genesis 39:21). Joseph prospered there and was soon in charge of taking care of the other prisoners. One of Joseph's gifts was dream interpretation, and he became known for it. After some years had passed, Pharoah had two disturbing dreams, and Joseph was brought in to interpret them. Soon, Joseph was elevated to the second-in-command of Egypt.

When Joseph was young, God gave him a dream of being a ruler, but then he went down, down, down. Joseph went from being a favorite son to a pit. From the pit to a slave, from a slave to prison. Then at thirty, he was elevated to be the ruler of Egypt. What a road to follow. Joseph was on the road to heaven, but it sometimes looked like hell.

You wouldn't have called Joseph blessed if you had seen him trapped in a cistern, or as a slave or prisoner. Yet, he was. In fact, God considered him to be a "successful young man" (Genesis 39:2). Joseph would have appeared to have been forsaken by God, but He was with Joseph as a young man, in the cistern, while a slave, while a prisoner, and later while a leader.

Your circumstances don't separate you from God, for He is there to help you through them. Joseph was humbled, and he learned to be a responsible leader along the way. When the time came, God publicly promoted the one He had been preparing for many years in secret.

So though your life may have taken a turn for the worse, it will work out for the better. Because you feel abandoned in a cistern doesn't mean that He isn't with you or that you are not on the right path. Be patient while God works out the details. Stay sweet, loving, and be the greatest servant they ever met wherever you find yourself. Elevation time is coming.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for bringing me this far. Please help me see this situation through Your eyes and keep the big picture in mind. This will not beat me, for I know You have plans for me. I will not die but live and declare the goodness of God in the land of the living. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” James 5:13 ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network. If you are interested in joining the prayer team, here is how to get started Prayer Partners.