Have You Heard the Story of My Life?

Do you know who I am? My name is Joseph, and I am one of 12 sons, the second to the youngest. My father, Jacob, loved my younger brother more than my other brothers, but he loved me most of all.

My father gave me a beautiful coat. My brothers became envious and hated me because I got a coat and they did not. Their hatred towards me grew stronger, because I would tell my father about their bad talk and evil schemes.

My brothers also hated me because of my strange dreams. I once dreamed that I was working with them in a field. We were gathering and binding sheaves when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright while my brothers’ sheaves bowed down to it.

Then I had another dream that was even stranger than the first. This time the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me. But when I told my brothers about this, they grew furious with me. Even my father scolded me. After that, my brothers never spoke kindly to me, but hated me.

One day, my brothers went far away to find pastures for their sheep. There were gone for many days. My father told me, Go and look for your brothers and bring me back a report.

I wished I could have stayed home with my father and younger brother, Benjamin, but I obeyed my father and went to look for my brothers. I searched for them a long time, until a man showed me the way to them.

When I finally found my brothers, they all looked at me with angry, mocking expressions. They grabbed me, took my beautiful coat off, carried me to a dry well, and threw me in.

My brothers did not listen to my crying and pleading but mocked me instead, saying, Sleep and have a good rest at the bottom of the well while you dream of being lord over us!

Great fear overcame me, but I remembered my Heavenly Father and was sure that He saw my distress. Surely, He could help me. This gave me an inner peace.

After a while, I heard strange sounds. I thought to myself, Are they going to take me out of here?

I heard unfamiliar voices and the sounds of camels. When I was finally lifted out, I noticed strangers among my brothers. They looked like traders. They gave my brothers money, had me bound, and carried me off on their camels.

Now I understood what had happened. My brothers had sold me. I cried and shouted, Help, let my go back to my father! But my brothers laughed at me. They had no pity on me.

The traders took me with them to Egypt, a faraway country. There they sold me to a rich man whose name was Potiphar. I became a slave to a master and could not go back to my father, but I was sure that God was with me.

There I did my best in everything I did, so that I would be upright in the eyes of my Holy God. I know that the Almighty God saw me in this strange land. God blessed me and was with me.

After a while, Potiphar saw that God was with me and that He gave me success in all I did. One day, he told me, , I want to make you the overseer of my slaves, cattle, and household.”I was very happy and thanked the Lord my God for this privilege.

I was also unhappy, because Potiphar’s wife was evil and intended bad things for me. She tried to make me violate my conscience – something that did not please God. So I asked her, How can I do such evil things and sin against God? But she kept on tempting me.

When she realised that I would not give in, she got angry and lied to her husband about me. This slave, Joseph, wanted to do an evil thing to me. My master burned with anger and ordered that I should be put in prison immediately. It was hard for me to go to prison unjustly, but I knew that God would also be with me in prison and that He still loved me and would take care of me.

After a while, the prison guard noticed that I was not an evil man and that I had no bad intentions. So he told me, Come out of your prison and help me guard the prison. This was how God, the Heavenly Father, blessed me in prison, too.

One day, two men from Pharaoh’s palace were thrown into prison. One of them was the chief cupbearer. He used to taste the wine before he served it to Pharaoh. The other man was the chief baker.

After a few days, when I was serving a meal, I noticed that they were distressed. So I asked them, Why do you look so sad?

The chief cupbearer answered, Both of us had strange dreams last night, and there is no one to interpret them for us. I asked them, What did you dream?

They both told me what they had dreamed, and God gave me the wisdom to interpret.

I interpreted the dream of the chief cupbearer and told him: The three branches of the vine which you saw in your dream are three days. After three days you will be released from prison and returned to your position, serving Pharaoh as you did in the past.

When I had finished my interpretation, I asked him to mention my name to Pharaoh, so that I could be released. He promised me that he would.

My interpretation of the chief baker’s dream was sad. I told him: The three baskets which you carried on your head are also three days. After three days, you are to be executed by hanging. As the birds picked at the bread in the basked and ate it in your dream, so too will they pick and eat away your flesh.

My interpretation of both dreams came true, but the chief cup bearer forgot me. However, the Lord my God did not forget me. I had faith in Him and trusted Him.

After two years, one of Pharaoh’s servants came to prison and ordered that I should be released and brought before Pharaoh. So I was taken to bathe and shave. Then I was dressed with beautiful clothes. After this, I was brought before Pharaoh.

I wondered what the reason behind my release could be? Did the chief cupbearer remember me after so long? Yes, he did..

Pharaoh asked me, Can you interpret dreams? I answered him: No my lord, I cannot. Only my God can. He is the Only One who can interpret dreams. He will help me interpret if I ask Him..

So Pharaoh told me his dream. He had seen seven fat cows and seven lean cows as well as seven full heads of grain and seven thin heads of grain. Then the Lord gave me wisdom, and I said to Pharaoh: The interpretation of both dreams is the same. First, seven years of plenty will come, and you will have great harvests in your land.

I continued with the interpretation: Afterwards, seven years of famine will come to the land and nothing will grow. The people will have nothing to eat. Therefore, you should build great storage rooms and fill them with grain during the seven years of abundance. When the seven years of famine come, you will have enough to feed the people for many years.

Pharaoh responded immediately, saying: Let it be as you have said. Because your God has given you great wisdom, I hereby put you in charge of carrying out this project. You will be the greatest man in my kingdom after me, and your word will be obeyed by all the people. Do whatever you think is right.

I soon became a very important, respected, and rich man. But all this did not make me proud, because I knew that God, my Heavenly Father, was the One who had blessed me with all this. I thanked Him with joy and said, O Lord, I thank You with my whole heart, because You have cared for me throughout all my troubles. You did not leave me alone, but blessed me richly.

All my past dreams did come true. My brothers had to come to me in Egypt, because of the famine which was in every land. And they had to bow down before me. But God gave me the grace to forgive them, love them, and take good care of them.

God does not abandon those who trust in Him. He raises the humble if they obey Him.