Psalm 105:17 “God had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.” 

We are all familiar with the story of Joseph being sold as a slave to later become the leader of God’s people. It is clear that Joseph could not have looked ahead to what God would do through him to save his people. It was God who looked ahead and chose Joseph for this important assignment in history. I am sure that Joseph would wished he could see where his life was going and those 13 years of his life must have felt like an eternity. Have you ever wanted to peek ahead to the end of the story because you wanted to see the conclusion before experiencing the events between now and then? I read a lot of books by the famed western author, Louis L’Amour and they have a common ending in most cases. The good guy wins after tough battles to overcome the bad guys and he always get the beautiful girl in the end. There is a pull when I pick up one these books to want to turn to the last few pages to see how the story ends. I am sure that Joseph would have liked to do this with God but that is not how God works; then or now. If so, we might not want to go through the stages before we get to the good ending God has prepared.

We long to look ahead and to know what is coming. The wonderful promise for the Christian is that the last page has been written and we know the ending. The time between now and then for us becomes a matter of trust, faith and perseverance. Time is a most valuable commodity which is irreversible and irreplaceable. It is our responsibility to determine how we will use it and spend it according to God’s leading – like Joseph. We are told in I Corinthians 10:31 “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” This should be our focus as we look ahead to live for him. We can’t stay where we are; so what do you plan on doing next in your life? Henry Blackaby wrote, “You can’t go with God and stay where you are.” We must be like Joseph and trust him with our future because he has already looked ahead for us. Just as God wrote the story of Joseph’s life, he will write the story of your life, so don’t jump off the page he is writing. He is a better author than you or I will ever be.