Joseph’s brothers were very cruel and very mean to him, they stripped him of his coat and threw him into a pit. Then, when they saw a company of Ishmaelites coming their way, they conspired together… “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites”, so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
Joseph became a slave and then ended up in prison. He endured humiliation, hardship and suffering, but because of his steadfast faith in God, he was raised up in every situation that he faced. I personally believe that at some point during this whole episode that as Joseph was seeking God, that the Lord gave him a revelation that although Joseph’s brothers meant evil against him, that God had a bigger, greater plan.
The bible says that the Holy Spirit will guide you into all the truth and He will disclose to you what is to come in the future. (John 16:13)
The Passion Translation says, “When the truth-giving Spirit comes, He will unveil the reality of every truth within you. He won’t speak His own message, but only what He hears from the Father, and He will reveal prophetically to you what is to come.”
As we go through things in life, it is important that we see what God sees…
Seeing does not mean that you will know all of the specifics, sometimes, seeing what God sees is when God reveals to us in general what is really going on so that we can continue in faith. I believe that the Holy Spirit let Joseph know, “You may not understand all of this, but just yield to me and follow me, I have a plan that I am working through you!”
The Lord reveals things to us through His Word and by the Holy Spirit Who discloses things to us and reveals things prophetically to us. When I spend time with the Lord and in His Word, He reassures me, “I am working these things together for your good… My plans for you are good… there is a greater purpose for your pain!” As the Lord speaks to me through His Word and by the Spirit, I begin to see things through the eyes of faith, and as I see things through the eyes of faith, I make room for the anointing to equip me, empower me and to raise me up just as it happened in the life of Joseph.
As with Joseph, even some things that people intended for my demise were used by the Lord for my good, for their good and for the good of others.
Life is not always smooth sailing, but when we see things as God sees them, through eyes of faith, things change. Paul the apostle saw through revelation knowledge that his chains were in Christ. When he saw what God saw, he found joy, strength and purpose in spite of the pain. Paul led many prison guards to the Lord who ended up in the ministry.
As a prisoner, Paul ended up on the island of Malta after a shipwreck, then got bitten by a snake. Paul was supernaturally saved from the venomous snakebite and that opened the door for an island wide revival. Do you see what God sees?
