Don't Give Up

Have you ever been to an amusement park? Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? If you haven't, you've missed one of the wildest rides you could ever be on. At first it starts out very slow. You climb this huge hill very slowly. It seems like it takes forever to get there. But, after you get to the top, you fall very fast down the huge hill you just climbed. Then, it whips you around this curve. Then, you go up and around one or two loops. Then, it whips you around several more curves. Then, you go up and down a few more dips. Then, it whips you around several more curves. All this time you are going very, very fast. When it ends you're thinking, " This was great, but it didn't last very long. " But, at the time you were going through the twists and turns, it seemed like the end would never come.

Life is kind of like a roller coaster. There are many ups and downs, twists and turns, and then, more ups and downs. Sometimes it seems like it will take forever for this ride to end. Sometimes these "ups and downs" are very steep and very severe. It seems like it will never get better. I know what it's like, I've been there. So has a man named Joseph. He was one of the twelve sons of Jacob in the Bible. Lets take a look at what he went through and how he made it through his ride.

Turn to Genesis 37:1. - Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

Joseph was use to getting blessings and gifts from his father. He received the finer things of his day. He was the favorite of Jacob's twelve sons. He was living on top of the world. In addition to all that his father was giving him, God was also blessing him. Life was good for Joseph and he knew it. He even became a little boastful. Look at what happened after God had given him two dreams. ( Genesis 37:4-11 ) - But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf." And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me." So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?" And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind. I'm not sure if Joseph was bragging or just wanted to share his vision with his brothers. In either case, he made a serious mistake when he told his brothers. They were already jealous of his relationship with their father. Then, as if he were rubbing this relationship in their faces, he tells them that God told him in a dream that they were going to bow down to him. This enraged them even more. To top it all off, his father had just made him a coat of many colors. This sets him apart from his brothers and in the culture of the day, gives him a special position in the family. The brother's jealousy grew. They began to plot against him.

One day, Joseph was sent to check up on his brothers. They see him coming and made a plan to kill him. Reuben, Joseph's older brother, would not let them kill Joseph, but suggested they capture him and throw him in a pit so that he could secretly go back later and rescue him. They cared so little for Joseph's life, that after they had done this to him, they were able to sit down and have a meal. Later, they saw a band of Ishmaelite traders. They decided to sell him to the traders. After the traders left, they took Joseph's coat, stained it with goat's blood and gave it to their father saying that a wild animal had killed Joseph and all that they could find was the stained coat. The traders took Joseph to Egypt and sold him as a slave to a man named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

Joseph had it all, position, power, money and a close relationship with God. Then, in less than twenty four hours, he now has absolutely nothing. His family is gone. He is alone in a strange place and now finds himself a slave. He was up and now, without any warning, finds himself at the bottom. But God had not abandoned him. Look at what happens next.

( Genesis 39:2-6 ) - The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. Joseph, with God's help, was on top again. Everything Joseph did prospered. Even though Joseph was in the lowest valley he'd ever gone through, God was with him. Most people, as soon as something bad happens, want to blame God. They stop serving Him, stop going to church, stop praying and stop believing. That's the worst thing anyone can do. When you're going through tough times, you need to grab hold of God as tight as you can and let Him get you through. Look at what the Bible says to do when we're in trouble. ( Psalm 107:19 ) Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. Joseph didn't crawl in a hole and curse God for the troubles. He took the situation that he was in and did the best he could and trusted God to help him get through. But Joseph's ride wasn't over yet. Just as it would happen on a roller coaster, when Joseph got to the top, he suddenly found himself speeding down to the bottom. Look at what happens next. ( Genesis 39:7-20 ) - And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. "And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside." So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; "so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside." So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

Joseph lived a righteous life, he trusted God, and he was a loyal servant. He didn't deserve to be accused of rape. He didn't deserve to be sent to prison. He didn't deserve it, but it happened. He lost it all, again!!! It happens today doesn't it? It happens in your life and it happens in mine. Just when we think everything is going great: wham! We get hit with another problem, another valley to cross, another crisis to struggle through. Sometimes we deserve it. Sometimes we don't. But either way, we're faced with a difficult, often painful situation. How do we survive mentally and spiritually when this kind of wrong is done to us? It seems unfair. It seems as if God has forsaken us. We might even start thinking that it's not worth the hassle. We might even say to ourselves, "If God really loves me, why am I suffering for something I didn't do? If God really loves me, why did my child have to die? Why should I serve God? Look at what He has let me go through. Why did I have to be injured this way?" Depending the circumstances, we can come up with all kinds of questions that don't have the answers that we might want to hear. Sometimes there are no easy, simple answers. We don't always know why we go through the trials we experience. Joseph didn't know why he had to be sold as a slave. He didn't know why he had to go to prison for a crime he didn't commit. But he did know that he served a God who was bigger than his circumstances. He was not going to sin against his God regardless of the wrongs that were committed against him. His faith did not depend on his circumstances.

God doesn't always reveal the reason we go through the things we go through. Sometimes we just have to trust Him. We have to put our little hand in His big hand and let Him lead us through the difficulties of life. Just as a little child has to let his parent hold his hand crossing a busy intersection to be able to get to the other side safely. If the child tried to cross by himself, he would probably get injured or killed. The parent knows how to cross safely. He sees the correct path to take. He knows when something dangerous is near. In the same way, God knows the correct path to take to get through the trial or affliction safely.

Joseph had to trust God. God didn't reveal the reason for the trials that he was going though. Even though Joseph was at the bottom again, God still blessed him. He found favor in the sight of the jail keeper. Look at what the Bible says: ( Genesis 39:21-23 ) - But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. Joseph prospered even in his affliction.

Through a friendship he had formed with one of Pharaoh's servants, Joseph found himself standing in the presence of Pharaoh. Pharaoh had a dream that troubled him. No one could be found to interpret the dream. Pharaoh's servant suggested Joseph because he had successfully interpreted the servant's dream several years earlier.

Joseph correctly interpreted Pharaoh's dream. As a reward, Joseph was released from prison and was set up as second-in-command of Egypt. Because of his position, Joseph not only saved the people of Egypt from a terrible famine, but he was also able to save his father and brothers.

Joseph's wild roller coaster ride lasted around fifteen years. He was up and then down at the bottom, up and then down at the bottom, and up and then down at the bottom again. Finally, he found himself at the top. Joseph was in a position to help his family in a way that he could have never have been able to do if these things had never happened to him. During this time it was never revealed to him why he was going through these things. All he had to go on was his faith in God. He was determined to live his life in a way that brought glory and honor to God, regardless of what he was going through. He never gave up. He just trusted God in the circumstances he was in and held on with all he had. That's what we need to do. It doesn't matter how hard it gets, how terrible the circumstances, or how painful it is to endure. DON'T GIVE UP!!! You don't know the end. You don't know the good that can come from what you're going through. It might be asked, "What kind of good can come from what I'm going through? " I'm sure Joseph could have asked the same thing if that statement had been said to him. But look at what the Bible says. ( 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ) - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. That's why we have to go through some of the things we go through; so that God can use us to help someone else that's going through the same thing. It worked for Joseph in a wonderful way. Look again at Joseph's life. Look at the outcome of his faithfulness. What would have happened to him, his family, the entire nation of Egypt and all the people of the surrounding countries if he had given up. Literally millions of people would have died and millions more would have never been born because of their deaths. Millions and millions of people have been born and have made great contributions to history and society because of one man's faithfulness. WOW !!! Now maybe God won't use you in quite the same way as He did Joseph, but, your life is still important. Every decision you make will not only affect you, but it will affect everyone around you; including those who haven't even been born. Don't give up! Get into God's word, get into a good Bible believing church, pray everyday like your life depends on the outcome ( because it does ), and hold on, hold on and hold on some more. Don't give up. Only God knows the impact your faithfulness will have on you and others.