The Traffic of Life

     Our lives could be compared to driving down the freeway. Sometimes we fly down the freeway and find ourselves at our final destination in a very minimal amount of time. Other times we find ourselves sitting in traffic. Our lives are the same way. The days can fly past us or we can find ourselves waiting for something to move forward in our lives. Are we going to embrace the situation before us? Ultimately God has ordained the conditions that are placed on our stretch of road. How are we responding?

     Sometimes I go through the times of "traffic" in my life I get impatient. When I get impatient I get frustrated and start to at least mentally complain about how slowly things seem to be happening. Is this response embracing the situation that God has placed before me? Most certainly not. Has God sovereignly ordained the situation that I am in?     

     Sometimes life happens so fast that I feel like I barely have time to think about what is happening. During these times I'm speeding down the fast lane. I have two choices, I can embrace the road set before me or I can freak out because I'm worried about what might lie ahead. Does God have the power to slow my life down if He needs to? Am I the one in control or is God?

     Just because things aren't happening on my timetable doesn't mean that God isn't working. The story of Joseph is a great example of this. Here is a guy who works and does good work for his employer. He is put in charge of everything except what Potiphar eats. For a slave he had it pretty well. Living the slaves version of the "fast lane." 

    Then enter Potiphar's wife. She notices how handsome Joseph is and desires to have a sexual relationship with him. Does everything she can and finally resorts to try to force him. He gets away. She gets him thrown in prison. 

    Was this fair? From a human perspective it doesn't seem to be. Do we see Joseph complain? The Bible does not tell us that he did.

     We see a man who is blessed by God even in prison. Joseph seems to embrace the situation before him and continues to serve the people that God has placed over him. Even while we are in the midst of blessing do we always see it or do we focus on how slowly the traffic seems to be moving around us? 

     The real challenge came for Joseph when the Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and his chief baker have similar dreams while they are in prison. He interprets their dreams. The dreams tell of what will happen in the future. In three days the cupbearer will be reinstated as Pharaoh's chief cupbearer (a very important and influential position) and the baker will be hung. He asks the cupbearer to remember him. It takes the cupbearer 2 years before he finally remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh. Do you think it was easy for Joseph to wait in the "traffic" of his situation?

      Sometimes we wait for what seems like an incredibly long time, for what? There is a need for every believer to keep God as their focus. Too often I find myself or another thing becoming the focus of my attention. Too often I find myself complaining because I'm in "traffic" and it just seems to stretch on and on. If I have God as my focus I find that I stop worrying about the traffic of my situation and I'm much more able to embrace the situation that is before me.

     The chief cupbearer remembers Joseph because Pharaoh has two dreams that are very similar. These dreams disturb him. He asks for someone to interpret them for him and the cupbearer tells Pharaoh about Joseph. 

     Joseph is then brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. He says that both dreams mean the same thing. They show that there will be seven years of plenty and warn of seven years of famine so severe that the seven years of plenty will be "...forgotten in the land of Egypt..." (Gen. 41:30b ESV). Because he was able (through God) to interpret the dreams, Pharaoh elevated him to second in command over all of Egypt. 

    God needed Joseph to stay in Egypt so that His people might be saved. We learn later that Joseph saves his family from starvation, thereby saving the entire nation of Israel from being wiped out. God had a reason for keeping Joseph in his situation. It wasn't just because He thought it would be fun to keep Joseph from going home to his family or whatever else Joseph may have wanted to do. It was for the salvation of His people. 

     It isn't hard to see how Joseph is a picture of Christ.

 Christ came as a servant. Joseph served Potiphar. Christ was falsely accused, Joseph was falsely accused. Joseph was in prison with two prisoners and told one that he was going to live and be in the presence of the king. Christ was put on a cross between two thieves and granted one eternal life where he could be in the presence of the King of kings. Joseph was in prison for two years after telling the cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh; at the beginning of the third year he was brought out of prison and into the court of Pharaoh. Christ was in the tomb for two days, rose at the beginning of the third day, and was ready to meet the Father, the King of the world. Joseph was able to save God's chosen people from physical disaster. Christ saved the chosen people from spiritual disaster.

     We can see all of this looking back on the "road" of Joseph's life. If he hadn't embraced the situation would the picture have been as clear? What about us? Are we embracing the "road" in front of us no matter what the "traffic" looks like? Are our lives a picture of Christ to those around us?