Never Lost Faith

Unfortunately, at times, our faith can be influenced by circumstance. One bad thing after another, one disappointment after another, one more loved one passes away…tough times have the potential to affect our faith. Of course it shouldn’t be this way and we’ve written many times about how tough times shouldn’t surprise us; in fact, we are promised difficult times while on earth. Still, every once and a while, a load becomes too heavy and our faith can begin to crack. One figure that comes to mind when thinking of tough times and strong faith is Joseph. Favorite of his father, envy of his brothers, Joseph faced some tough times in his life, but his actions show that no matter his circumstances, he never lost his faith.

“Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.” (Genesis 37:3-4)

Joseph’s story starts by setting him up as the favorite of his father, Jacob. Joseph had dreams of his brothers bowing down to him and Joseph seemed to relish in these dreams and preferential treatment. His brothers became annoyed with Joseph and decided to throw him into a well.

“So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.” (Genesis 37:23-24)

At this point, the brothers were unsure what to do with Joseph, but his brother Judah tried to save his life by suggesting that instead of killing Jospeh, they sell him. The other brothers agreed, but they took Joseph’s coat and covered it in goat’s blood so they could lie to their father and tell him Joseph was killed.

“His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. ‘I will go to my grave mourning for my son,’ he would say, and then he would weep. Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard.” (Genesis 37:35-36)

Thrown in a well and sold into slavery. How’s your faith doing? I’ve struggled with mine for less. Joseph’s story picks up in chapter 39.

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.” (Genesis 39:2-4)

Regardless of what Joseph had been through, the Lord was with him, so Joseph succeeded in everything he did as he served. He was soon promoted to be Potiphar’s right hand man. But Potiphar’s wife lusted after Joseph and one day tried to trap him. She tried to pull him into bed with her, but Joseph said something we should all remember as a response to temptation: “How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” As she persisted, Joseph tore himself away from her and his cloak was left in her hands. Angered and hurt by Joseph’s refusal, Potiphar’s wife showed his cloak to her servants and told them that Joseph tried to rape her.

“She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. Then she told him her story. ‘That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,’ she said. ‘But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!’ Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. (Genesis 39:16-21)

So for a second time, Joseph was thrown into bondage with his clothing used deceptively as evidence. How’s your faith doing? How do we know Joseph didn’t lose faith? Chapter 39 is bookended with this phrase: “The Lord was with Joseph.” In fact, it is this phrase. mentioned twice in this chapter, where we find the Lord’s name mentioned for the first time since Jacob built his alter at Bethel in chapter 35. God is working and moving in significant ways, but how do we know Joseph didn’t lose his faith? We have to look at his actions. Faith without works is dead, James wrote some 5,000 years later, so let’s look at Joseph’s actions to see if he still had faith in God. While Joseph was in prison, Pharoah’s chief cup-bearer and his baker were thrown in prison as well, and while in prison they each had strange dreams which no one could explain.

“And they replied, ‘We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.’ ‘Interpreting dreams is God’s business,’ Joseph replied. ‘Go ahead and tell me your dreams.’” (Genesis 40:8)

So the two men described their dreams and Joseph told each of them what the dreams meant. Did you catch that? Joseph stated that interpreting dreams is God’s business and he proceeded to interpret them. If he had given up faith, why would Joseph have confidence in God interpreting the dreams through him? The very fact that he was willing to interpret the dreams is evidence that he did not lose faith in God nor did he lose faith in the promise of the dreams he had had previously. God was with Joseph no matter the circumstances; in fact, it was the circumstances that prepared Joseph for what God had planned for him. No matter what happened to Joseph, he remained faithful. He did not lose his faith. No matter what you go through—and the odds are you won’t be thrown in a well by your siblings and sold into slavery and falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison—do not lose your faith.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.