What do you do when things don’t turn out the way you want them to?

Thank God for closed doors! Yes, I’m serious! You never know what he protected you from. The job you didn’t get, the person you didn’t marry, etc. Praise the Lord! So often we pray for breakthroughs and great opportunities. But what if God doesn’t answer your prayer the way you want him to? It’s so easy to get frustrated when we pray for something and God doesn’t act on it. Let me tell you that God surely loves you and wants your best! Always!

Consider Joseph. He was sold as a slave and brought to Egypt. Later, he was wrongfully thrown into prison and stayed there for two years. Do you guess how many times he must have prayed to God asking him to help him get back to his family? Or can you imagine how he must have felt staying in prison even though he didn’t commit a crime? This is so unfair! Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t give us enough insights in Joseph’s thought life. But I’m sure he wasn’t at all pleased with his hopeless situation.

I guess he must have thought about his life at home as his father Jacob’s favorite son. God gave him a big vision for his life in a dream. He’s going to be someone that others will bow before. But now he finds himself stuck in prison and left forgotten.

What comes next must have caught him by surprise. He was brought into the Pharaoh’s presence to interpret a dream of his. Suddenly, Joseph finds himself the second most powerful man of Egypt. The Pharaoh places him in a position of power to lead the entire country’s preparation for the upcoming famine:

“You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” Genesis 41:40

How amazing is this turn around? Joseph’s story is such a great example for God’s work through man to fulfill his greater purposes. Joseph could have given up on God’s plan for his life so many times; when he was sold as a slave, thrown unrightfully in prison, etc.

Not only was God going to bless him but his whole family as well. Through Joseph, God was providing for the people who later would become the nation of Israel and he prevented them from starving.

When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. Genesis 41:56

The story of Joseph is such an impressive example for God turning things around and fulfilling his vision through a person’s life. No matter how the circumstances look like in different situations: In the end, God’s will comes through no matter what.

Let Joseph’s story be a reminder for you to continue trusting God. So many times, we can’t figure out why things happen or don’t happen. But one thing is for sure: God has a plan and knows what he’s doing. And you can rest assured: God’s will is the best thing that can happen to your life!

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