Our Disappointments Are God’s Appointments
Devotions for Growing Christians
Our Disappointments Are God’s Appointments
Genesis 50:20 – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
Read the whole account of the life of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.
The phrase, "Our disappointments are God's appointments" is a well-known, albeit slightly dated, Christian catchphrase. But even if it may sound a little trite, that doesn’t take away from the truth involved. We need to remind ourselves that our sovereign God really is in control of every aspect of our lives - even our disappointments!
The story of Joseph is a classic example of how God used disappointments to accomplish His good purposes in a young believer’s life. Genesis 50:20 gives us the conclusion of the story in Joseph's own words. Looking back, Joseph recognized that God had woven together all his disappointments to create a path to being a great and vitally important leader in Egypt. Joseph exhibited amazing faith when he said, "God intended it all for good..." Is our faith strong enough to say that? Do we believe that God appoints our disappointments? (See Romans 8:28-29.)
Disappointment #1
When Joseph was 17 years old, his brothers sold him as a slave to a caravan of traders headed to Egypt (Genesis 37). What led to this disappointment in Joseph's life? His father, Jacob, gave him a beautiful and expensive robe. Jacob should have known that this display of favoritism would cause friction in the family. Parents run the same risk today when they play favorites with their children.
Joseph also seemed to have had a superior attitude towards his half-brothers that fueled their hatred and jealousy. He told them about his dreams in which he was exalted (37: 5-11). While God was behind his dreams, and they would eventually come true, perhaps Joseph should have kept them to himself. But let's not cut Joseph down without recognizing that we might be guilty of similar failings!
The most amazing lesson for us in the story of Joseph is that God takes our disappointments, and even our shortcomings, and works them into His overall good purposes. This doesn’t excuse our mistakes, and it doesn’t make God culpable of evil in any way. However, it does indicate that our sovereign God can overrule in any area, and He can work things together for good in the long run.
Another important lesson for us here is faithfulness. Joseph had his rough edges, but in spite of the many disappointments in his life, we never read of Joseph abandoning his faith or speaking out against God. Our reaction in similar circumstances would probably be, "Why me, God? How could You let me be sold into slavery? How could You allow my own family to treat me like this?" Joseph's faithfulness through disappointments puts many of us to shame.
Disappointment #2
In Genesis 39 Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison. What led to this disappointment? Joseph had become the slave of an Egyptian official named Potiphar. He had served faithfully, and he had been elevated to the position of head servant. Things seemed to be going reasonably well. The Bible leaves no doubt that our sovereign God was working behind the scenes (39:1-5).
But then came a critical test in Joseph’s life. Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph (39:6). What a temptation! He was a young man far from home in pagan Egypt. He was seemingly forsaken by God and in desperate need of some "companionship.” Why not? Who would know?
But Joseph knew that God would know, and he refused the temptation. He remained faithful to the Lord. He recognized that this act would be sin against his master Potiphar, and against God (39:8-9). The fact that Joseph had wrongly been made a slave did not make adultery any less a sin. And the possibility that Potiphar's wife might have been lonely did not make it any less a sin. (By the way, if the Bible supported “situation ethics,” this would be the ideal place for God to teach it – but we read of no situational ethics for Joseph!)
The test of Joseph's faith was not a one-shot temptation. It came day after day (39:10). Would we have remained faithful? Some people might even have jumped to the false conclusion that such a prolonged "open door" was actually God's way of meeting our needs in a difficult situation. But God never leads us or meets our needs in ways that are contrary to His Word.
Notice, too, Joseph’s method of victory over this type of temptation. He ran! Joseph didn't stand around to see how long he could resist her propositions. He got away from the situation as quickly as possible. This is the scriptural method of victory over the "lusts of the flesh." Don't hang around in tempting situations. Get away from those situations immediately.
As a result of his faithfulness, Joseph was falsely accused and convicted of attempted rape. How could God allow such a terrible disappointment? If God allows a horrible disappointment to come into our lives, we can be sure that He has appointed it for good reason. We may not understand why, and this takes a measure of faith beyond the ordinary, but God gives special strength to enable us in especially difficult times. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.)
Disappointment #3
In Genesis 40 Joseph was falsely imprisoned. While he was in prison, Joseph came in contact with two of Pharaoh’s officials. Notice again how the sovereignty of God was at work in bringing them to the "same prison where Joseph was confined" (40:3). The two officials had dreams, and Joseph interpreted their dreams correctly. Pharaoh’s cupbearer was to be released and restored to office, so Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him. Sadly, when he went back to Pharaoh’s court the official forgot all about Joseph. What a disappointment!
If you’ve ever felt "used and forgotten,” you can imagine Joseph’s disappointment. His hopes and expectations were dashed. God must have forgotten about him. He was wasting his prime years in that Egyptian prison. At least two years went by with no change.
Most of us have experienced a disappointing rut where nothing seems to change. From our perspective there seems to be no action, only wasted time. However, from God's perspective, it may be an appointment in which we learn patience and humility - and maybe other reasons too.
Vindication
In Genesis 41, Joseph was vindicated and exalted! When God gave Pharaoh two dreams that no one could understand, the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph. Joseph was released from prison and brought before the king of Egypt to interpret the dreams. Notice that Joseph's first words before Pharaoh referred to God (41:16)! This leaves no doubt that Joseph had remained faithful to God throughout his entire incarceration, and he remained faithful before this pagan ruler.
Would we be as bold and faithful? God honored Joseph for his faithfulness. He was elevated to second in command over all Egypt, the greatest civilization in the ancient world! Such a position for a young Hebrew man necessitated all the experience of Egyptian life and government that Joseph had picked up during those long years of disappointment. God knew what He was doing all along - and He still does!
Our disappointments are God's appointments.
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2021, Ron Reid)