You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11

My friend Megan sat across the desk from a lawyer and signed the papers. Divorced—she was getting divorced.

“Why did God allow this brokenness in my life?” she wondered in despair. Megan found herself living the life she never wanted.

There were many such times in the life of a man named Joseph. Once the favorite son, he found himself sold into slavery, then successful in his job, falsely accused, thrown into prison, forgotten then promoted to the most powerful position in the land.  And what does the Bible say about every season of Joseph’s life? The Lord was with Joseph. Whether in prison or in power, Joseph had hope because of God’s presence (Genesis 39).

Only God could have written a life story like Joseph’s! Marshall Segel says, “If you love and follow Jesus God always writes a better story for you than you would write for yourself.”[1] In this better story that Jesus writes for your life, you always find His presence.  “When we have little and have lost much,” explains John Piper, “Christ comes and reveals himself as more valuable than what we have lost. And when we have much and are overflowing in abundance, Christ comes and he shows that he is far superior to everything we have.”[2]

Thinking over my own life, I can tell you that my version of my life would never have pressed me hard into the presence of Jesus. It’s there, that you can love the life you never wanted.

 

Resource reading: Genesis 39:1-23

[1] Segel, M. (2022, April 27). Love the Life You Never Wanted. Desiring God. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/love-the-life-you-never-wanted.

 

[2] What Is the Secret of Joy in Suffering? Desiring God. (2022, April 27). Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-the-secret-of-joy-in-suffering.