When I think about what Joseph went through in his life, the only reason he did not break was because of the Lord. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, and we know this by how he was treated by his father. Jacob gave him a beautiful robe, and he made sure to wear it for his brothers to see. To remind them he was the only one to get this type of gift from their father, and it caused his brothers to hate him. If this was not bad enough, Joseph shared a dream with his brothers, where they were bowing down before him. His sharing this was like adding fuel to the fire, and it moved his brothers to consider killing him. Joseph was unaware of how his brothers felt about him because his life was sheltered by his father. In Genesis 37:23-24, we see something happened to Joseph that he was not expecting. When he came to his brothers, the first thing they did when they grabbed him was to strip him of his robe and threw him into a pit. This robe reminded his older brothers that they were not cared for like Joseph. They knew their father’s love for Joseph was greater than his love for them. This was an extension of how Rachel, Joseph’s mother was loved more by Jacob, than her sister Leah. As you can see there was a disparity of love between Jacob, his wives, and their children. This was the cause of the dysfunction in this family. 

With all that was wrong in this family dynamics, it didn’t stop the Lord from blessing them. Joseph was anointed by the Lord and would go on to do great things. Saints, your family may have some dysfunctions, but that does not stop the Lord from blessing your family.  We are told the pit was empty and had no water in it. There was nothing in the pit that was able to sustain Joseph while he was in it and he was not able to climb out. He probably thought he was going to die in this pit. 

Saints, this is how so many people are feeling right now. Thinking they are in an empty pit with no way out and will die in it. There are times we find ourselves in a place where it appears there is no way out. However, Joseph didn’t realize it yet but the Lord was going to remove him from a place of despair, because there was a calling on his life. The Lord was going to use Joseph to save his entire family from dying. There was going to be a famine so great in the land, and many lives would have been taken. But God was going to use Joseph, who is now in an empty pit, to save many nations. Right now, you are in an empty place with no way out, but I’m here to tell you not for long. So throw up your hands and begin to praise His Holy Name! Some may not understand what you are doing because they know where you are. But God is going to make a way out for you. Continue to walk in your blessings.