Preserved for a Purpose
Joseph had a vision that his life would be used mightily by God, but that vision seemed like a pipe dream after his jealous brothers sold him into slavery. The following years of Joseph’s life were filled with hardship and injustice. Just when Joseph seemed to get back on his feet, he was falsely accused of attempted rape and sent to prison. Finally, after years of turmoil, Joseph ended up serving in Pharaoh’s house. Pharaoh eventually appointed Joseph ruler over all of Egypt.
Beloved, that’s how God works; he was preparing a man to save a remnant. Indeed, in every generation, the Lord raises up a ‘Joseph Company.’ He takes these devoted servants through years of trouble and trials to prove and strengthen their faith.
What does this mean? Scripture says, “He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him” (Psalm 105:17–19, NKJV).
Joseph told his brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:7–8).
What an incredible revelation for Joseph, yet what is the lesson here for God’s people today? It is this: Our Lord has preserved us in the past, and he will preserve us in the days ahead. Most importantly of all, he preserved you because he has a purpose for you. He has laid out a divine work ahead of you, and only a tested and proven believer can accomplish it.
The Joseph Company are godly men and women whom God has touched and called. They don’t seek fame or fortune. All they want is to live and die fulfilling the calling God has placed on them, and the Lord promised their lives would count for his kingdom.
This is not a time for timid faith. It’s a time when every Christian who has endured great testing must step forward. Our captain is calling us to stand up amidst a fearful society and engage in “power faith.”
