Joseph was stripped of his coat of many colors, but, in the process, he was also stripped of his pride and entitlement, which will change the way he sees people and talks to people later in his life. Joseph going to be used by God to reach millions of people who are starving in the future, and right now, Joseph is learning for the first time what it's like to be really hungry as he's traveling to Egypt to be sold into slavery.
Some of us can look back on our lives and see the growth and development that takes place on these unexpected detours. You didn’t ask or choose to be on this detour, but it doesn't mean God's not going to use it. God is using these troubles as transportation to help you get to a place where he wanted you to be all along.
Detours are also used by God for protection. They protect us from danger. If you're on the road and you see a detour, sometimes it's to protect you from something that you can't see up ahead. The detour is there to protect you, but you might not ever really get to see that protection. God's will is this way to a degree, where we will never truly understand it on this side of eternity. There is this protective will of God that was taking place, while we're complaining about the detour that God is using to get us around the danger. You need is some faith that God is for you, he's not against you. God is with you. God is not silent. God might feel silent, but he's not absent.
Reflection/Discussion Question: What is a detour that you've experienced that you can now recognize as a way that God protected you?
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