Keys to Resilience - a Journey With JosephExemplo

The end of yesterday’s passage landed Joseph in a terrible position: he had been sold as a slave, by his own family! He went from being his father’s favorite son, to Potiphar’s slave.

Can you imagine being Joseph in this moment? How do you even process that kind of life change? That depth of grief and anger? On all accounts, the life that Joseph had always known was over, and in many ways it simply couldn’t get worse. He had zero control over his circumstances, and I’m sure he was tempted to despair.

But that’s not the end of the story because of five little words that we find in the second verse of today’s passages: “the LORD was with Joseph.”

The LORD was with Joseph and therefore (the verse continues) everything he did prospered. The worst of the worst situations (slavery! Sold by your family!) became a tale of success, favour, prosperity, and blessing. We go from a great low to a great high!

But again (and unfortunately this time), that’s not the end of the story, because we still have the second half of this chapter. And this is where we dig deep into the theme of resilience.

Joseph’s master’s wife (how’s that for a mouthful) persistently tempts and urges Joseph to sin. But he refuses, holding firmly to today’s resilience key: flee from temptation.

Later on in the Bible, in the book of Luke, we read about a time when one of His disciples asked Jesus how to pray and we come to what has been known ever since as the Lord’s prayer. It reads like this:

“Father,

Hallowed be Your name,

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

Lead us not into temptation! Pray this over yourself today (and everyday!). A tremendous part of becoming a resilient person is to flee from temptation, just as we see Joseph doing. This is something we can do because the Lord is with us. It’s also important to note that fleeing is an active verb. You don’t flee accidentally, or subtly. It takes intention, it takes a decision, and it takes action. We must intentionally decide to flee from the temptation(s) that surround us.

Joseph had no control over his circumstances, but he had every control over his response to them - as do we.

Our passage ends today with Joseph being falsely accused (despite his fleeing!), and thrown into prison. But then, he’s put in charge of the prisoners! Why? Because once again “the LORD was with Joseph”.

A great low, to a great high, back into the pits again (through no fault of his own!), and then back once more to a high point. This chapter has it all! But isn’t that a little like life sometimes?

As you read today, ask yourself the following questions: How does resilience play out in this passage? What did fleeing from temptation look like for Joseph? What are the unhelpful temptations that are in your life right now? What would it look like to actively flee from those things? What does it mean that the LORD was with Joseph? What does it mean that the LORD is with you?