A Series of Unlikely Events

     God works in mysterious ways doesn't He. Often times we find ourselves in the most unlikely places because of a series of unlikely events. They are 'unlikely' in the sense that they were nothing we imagined or planned them to be. The point is this: God endlessly and faithfully works all things together for His glory and our good. What seems unlikely may be exactly what God has intended all along.

      Believe that everyone who yields their person and plans to God will see every character and circumstance along the way in the ever-present light of God's everlasting plan.

      God has set apart a people for Himself and He confirms His promises to them generation after generation. God promises this to Abraham, saying “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you” (Genesis 17:7). The deepest promise God ever made is the one He confirms day after day. “I will be your God and you will be mine.”

      The most difficult and depressing series of events will never extinguish God's promise. Many times that promise is amplified during those difficult times. God calls us to be steadfast and immovable, as He is, so that we may see His love and power in every circumstance.

      Let's take a look at a story about God's people. It involves many stories and series of unlikely events, but in the end it proves that God is ever-present and always faithful. Let's begin at the end and work backwards.

      There was a time when God's people were suffering a drought that lasted seven years. What had begun as Abraham's family was quickly becoming a great nation, but they were all in danger of being wiped out by the drought. Rumor had spread that the Egyptians down south had plenty of food that had been stored up from years of harvest. Jacob, Abraham's grandson, sent his sons down to Egypt to try and find food, lest they starve. Through a miracle that was years in the making, the Lord provided for His people in a most unlikely way – through the power and forgiveness of a son; Jacob's son Joseph.

     To give the end meaning we must explore those unlikely events which preceded it.

     It all began with a dream. Joseph's dream.

      We read about it in Genesis 27, when Joseph shares two dreams with his brothers. His brothers had already hated Joseph, but these dreams sent them over the edge. Joseph told them, on two occasions, that according to his dreams, he would rule over them one day. That is a wild dream – it enraged Joseph's brothers. In their anger they threw him into a ditch and sold him into slavery. They went home and told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. While his father was grieving, Joseph was sent into slavery in Egypt.

      It wasn't long before Joseph had proved himself to be useful to an officer of the Egyptian Pharaoh. The officer was so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of the entire household. Joseph was doing pretty well considering the dismal circumstance, but then another unlikely event occurred. The officer's wife tried to seduce Joseph but Joseph remained steadfast and resisted. He actually fled the scene, but when he did, the officer's wife made a fuss and claimed that he tried to seduce her. This lie landed Joseph in prison before he could make a case for himself.

      After a while in prison, Joseph found himself with two new cellmates. They both had strange dreams one night and Joseph was able to interpret them correctly. It meant good news for one and bad news for the other, but the Lord remained faithful to Joseph, who found favor with the men. Years later Joseph was released from prison to become the servant of the Pharaoh because of the dreams he interpreted.

      Joseph interpreted a dream of Pharaoh's and warned him that he needed to store up food and resources for an impending drought that would last seven years. Trusting Joseph, the Pharaoh put him in charge of all of Egypt's resources.

      What started with a child's dream had taken Joseph through a series of very unlikely events, most of them tough, and landed him as the number two in charge over Egypt. Even so, things were about to get stranger still.

      During the years of drought Joseph's brothers ended up traveling into Egypt to seek supplies. The spoke directly to Joseph. Believing that their brother was either dead or miserable in slavery, they didn't notice Joseph until he revealed himself to them. Once they recognized Joseph, they all wept and asked forgiveness.

      Joseph replied, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 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. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones” (Genesis 50:19-21).

      That child's dream had come true but it was far unlike anything Joseph would have imagined or planned. Joseph was able to provide for his family and God's people because God had been directing him all those years, but the decision was still left up to Joseph. Had Joseph remained bitter toward his brothers and never forgiven them, he could have refused to help them. God's people may have starved to death if it weren't for God's provision and Joseph's response.

      In every circumstance, God's provision and our response work together. We must understand that as the Lord is always working for His glory and our good, our response still matters.
God has provided an incredible way for you to know and experience His provision day after day.

Will you respond to God?

     Take some time to think about where you are today and how you got there. Take a trip down memory lane and examine those events that had powerful impact on your life. How has God used those to bring meaning and perspective to the life you live today? How have you responded along the way? How should you respond now and in the future?