Joseph’s life was anything but predictable.
If we were to map it out, it would look less like a straight line and more like a roller coaster—sharp drops, slow climbs, unexpected turns, and moments where it felt like everything was falling apart.
Born as the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Joseph began life on a high point. He was loved deeply, favored openly, and marked by his father’s gift of a coat of many colors. But favor can breed resentment, and before long Joseph’s brothers turned against him. Dreams meant to reveal God’s future only intensified their anger.
And so the descent began.
Sold into slavery. Carried off to Egypt. Far from home. Far from family. Far from the future he thought God had promised.
Yet even there, God was at work.
Joseph found favor in Potiphar’s house and was placed in charge of everything. Just as life began to rise again, it dropped—falsely accused, thrown into prison, forgotten by the very people he helped.
Still, God was not finished.
In prison, Joseph learned to lead, to wait, to listen, and to discern. He interpreted dreams. He managed responsibility in obscurity. And when Pharaoh needed someone who could see clearly in a confusing moment, Joseph was ready.
What looked like setbacks were actually preparation.
Years later, standing second only to Pharaoh, Joseph would look back on everything—betrayal, slavery, prison—and say words that still shape our faith today:
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph could say that because discernment had given him perspective. He understood that God was not reacting to events—God was weaving them together.
Discernment Helps Us Discover Our Place in God’s Plan
Discernment allows us to see beyond the moment we’re in. It helps us recognize that challenges and successes are often connected. The valleys teach us how to walk faithfully on the mountaintops. The waiting seasons prepare us to carry responsibility well.
Joseph didn’t focus on what others had done to him. He celebrated what God was doing through him.
That same invitation is given to us.
Rather than asking, “Why is this happening to me?” we can begin to ask, “Lord, what are You shaping in me—and how might You use this for others?”
God’s Timeline Is Often Longer Than Ours
Jeremiah once told God’s people they would be in exile for seventy years. Not seven. Not a short season—but a lifetime for many.
Yet even there, God said: build, plant, grow, seek peace, and trust that I am still working.
Sometimes we feel like we’ve been stuck too long. But what if we’re closer to the crest than we realize? What if faithfulness in the valleys is about to become testimony on the mountaintop?
God’s plans are bigger than our emotions, higher than our understanding, and always shaped by His goodness.
The roller coaster may feel intense—but God never lets go of the track.
Sermon video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uorVu9U-xcQ
[Blog post created by Sunday Message Repurposing Assistant from original sermon content preached by Rev. Kent F. Jackson on January 18, 2026.]
Sermon Series NOTE: The Story by Max Lucado ch. 3 “Joseph: from Slave to Deputy Pharoah”
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