” Count it all joy, when you fall into various trials. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
James 1:2-4 

The life story of Joseph, like ours clearly illustrates that God sometimes allows adversity to enter our lives so that He might accomplish a far greater purpose through us. Joseph’s father loved him more than all his other brothers, and as you can imagine, this caused some jealousy.
When Joseph was about 17 years old, he shared two dreams with his brothers. In the dreams he was the center of attention and they were bowing down to him. Joseph’s brothers were furious and wanted to kill him. However, not wanting to bring shame upon themselves, they decided to sell him into slavery.
Have you ever wondered to yourself why you had to be the one to go through the mess you are going through?
Well keep reading, I finally figured out why Joseph’s epic adventure has had such a profound impact on me.
Of all the merchants the brothers could have sold Joseph to, they selected the ones heading down to Egypt. When Joseph got to Egypt, of all the people who could have bought him, the captain of the King’s army did. Of all the women who could have accused Joseph of rape, the captain’s wife did landing him in jail. Of all the prison Joseph could have been in, he was placed in the one reserved for the king’s prisoners. A coincidence? I don’t think so.
The irony of it all though is that in spite of his adversity, wherever Joseph went he found favor.
While in prison, Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of the King’s two servants. He hoped his position would have changed when the dreams were proven true. But no sooner had the servant gotten out of jail he forgot Joseph. It wasn’t until two years later when the King needed someone to interpret his troubling dreams did the man remember Joseph(Genesis 39-41).
It took a minute. But at the right time God reversed Joseph’s circumstance. Everything leading up to that moment was preparation. To fulfill God’s ultimate purpose, Joseph had to be sold into slavery and go to prison. If you think about it, how else would  Joseph have gotten to the place he needed to be ?
After Joseph interpreted the King’s dream, he rose to prominence in Egypt. With his new position of power and authority, Joseph was not only able to save his family from famine, but an entire nation!
Looking back over Joseph’s life, we realize that God was in control all along. Nothing had happen to him outside of God’s permissive will and divine plan. Even though it required him enduring 12 long years of darkness and pain. I am sure, there must have been days when he wondered what  he had done to deserve the things that were happening to him and must have questioned whether or not his own prophetic dream was a figment of his imagination. Whatever might have crossed his mind, it is evident that God was in control.
What about you? What are you having to endure during this season of your life? Your story might be different from that of Joseph’s, however God’s plan for your life is still the same. There is a greater good that has to be lived out through your life. But you know what happens most time, as a result of not fully understanding God’s will and purpose for our lives, we walk out of His will and try to make things happen on our own turn. Understand this, when God is in the process of redirecting your life, sometimes He delays meeting certain needs. He sees the big picture. We only get to live the story of our lives one sentence at a time. Most times it is not until we get to the end of a book, before we understand what was happening all along.
Trust God with your life, you might not be able to make sense of what is happening now, but the events will work themselves out  for a far greater purpose. One that will only bring blessing to your life, but also to the lives of others.
Positive Affirmation: Today I will prayerfully ask God to teach me how to wait and trust Him in the midst of my afflictions.
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