“A Faith That Seems Unbelievable” March 26, 2021

For those of you who know the story of Joseph in the Bible, you may remember him for his robe of many colors. Or, maybe you heard or saw the musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Well, there’s so much more to this biblical character’s story; especially, in terms of his strong faith in an unseen God.

This true story takes place in the book of Genesis, between chapters 37-50. In the first part of Joseph’s life, he experienced many injustices such as jealousy, hatred, betrayal, being thrown into an inescapable pit, his own brothers selling him as a slave, false rape attempt charges by his boss’ wife, imprisonment without a trial, and abandonment. From a human perspective, Joseph’s life was extremely difficult and it seemed everywhere he turned, he had no hope or a future.

​And yet, the Almighty God was at work and sovereignly orchestrating a plan that was unseen, but had been mapped out even before Joseph was born. In fact, towards the end of Joseph’s story in Genesis, Joseph probably understood this truth best when he tells his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

This year in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), men, women and children around the globe have been studying the book of Genesis. On page 6 of the BSF Lesson 24 notes, are some insights into the life of Joseph and his exemplary faith in God:

“Joseph offers a stellar example, but the hard days of his challenging life required active surrender to God. Faith is not denying the hardship, but trusting God in the midst of it. How is God calling you to stronger faith? What do you do on that hard day when your faith falters and the visible challenges loom large? God Himself stokes the ire of our faith with His strength and power. He calls out faith when we struggle. God will teach you how to trust Him. That may require unplugging you from earthly sources of security so you can experience God as the unshakeable bedrock of faith. God lets it be hard here so we will discover He offers more than this fallen world can offer. How is God revealing Himself and growing your faith this week, even if that growth is hard?”