Genesis 37:24

“Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.”

We all know the story of Joseph. Abandoned by his brothers and left for dead. God had another plan despite what his brothers saw as the outcome. What blew my mind this time while reading through his story, is what God protected him from. Drowning, We look at Joseph and we know that He was blessed and highly favored. This is what His robe represents. His brothers envied him. “Oh look, it's the dreamer.” But really, in God's eyes, seeing the work as completed, its look, the King. When man sees worthlessness and death, God brings forth life and opportunity. God will use the situation that we are in to protect us, shape us and grow us. This is how life is formed.

Joseph's brothers cast him into a pit. This pit was empty! We must know that although Joseph did not know this was going to happen, this was no surprise to our God. The Lord allows the casting into a pit for a reason. Would Joseph had grown prideful? We don't know. But the lord allowed it, and it was done. Some might say “wow how could God..” but as we read on, we see the pit was empty and there was no water in it. The Lord allowed the scratching and bruising but He would not let Joseph  drown.  Joseph could be thrown around and cast into a dark place, but the Lord in His sovereignty would not let Joseph drown.

This hit hard for me. Recently, we've had so many things happening in Guatemala. We begin to rejoice and at the same time question, what exactly the Lord is doing. Just like Joseph we dont see what the Lord is going to do, but the stripping of the robe happens followed by the pit. For us, as interns, the stripping of the robe happened when, people had left our side. Making us feel abandoned. The robe had been taken off. But that does not mean that God is stripping us of His favor. When he allows us to be thrown into the pit, it is a time of solitude solely meant to seek him. He will not allow us to drown in doubt fear and despair. He indeed, has a plan that will lead us to greater things. We must first experience the stripping, the pit, and the dryness. Let God do what He alone can do.