As far as biblical characters go, Joseph is kind of a big deal. Genesis 37-50 tells his story of unwavering faith amidst the steep ups and downs of life. He was the favorite son, so his brothers tried to kill him. Instead he was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. He was sold to Potipher who loved him and gave him control of everything, but was thrown in jail because of the lies of Potipher's wife. He gained the favor of the guard in prison and was put in charge, but endured an unusually long jail sentence while those who were accused of much worse were released. He was brought before Pharoah to interpret dreams and given the power of one 2nd in command and was finally free in Egypt, where he eventually reunited with his brothers. His brothers moved to Egypt and became God's chosen people, the Israelites. But let's go back to the beginning....
One day Joseph is hanging out at the house with dad, probably sporting his new colorful coat, and his dad asks him about his brothers. He wants to know where they are and what they're doing. Joseph heads out to the field where his brothers are supposed to be but doesn't find them. Genesis 37:15 tells us that a man wandering in the field tells Joseph that his brothers have gone to a different field. Joseph's dad didn't like this news and he became angry with his other sons. This is the final straw for the 11 brothers. Joseph is the favorite, he knows he's the favorite, and he's using it to his advantage. This angers the brothers so much that they conspire to kill him. This is what set the rest of Joseph's story in motion.
My question is, who is this random man and why is he wandering in the middle of a field? What was he doing there? Why did he approach Joseph? If not for this man, perhaps Joseph would not have found his brothers in the wrong field. Perhaps they would not have been mad enough to kill him or sell him into slavery. I think this is God's providence. God's providence is never talked about explicitly, never explained in black and white, but after reading Joseph's story we haven't any reason not to believe. God didn't step in and say, "Hey, Joseph, I'm about to do a miracle in your life and it's going to be spectacular." He subtly set things in motion. Joseph had no idea what was about to happen and how his actions would change his life and forever change the world.
There are many who believe that God no longer takes action in our lives like he did in the New Testament with miraculous displays of power. I disagree. God's providence is constantly working in our lives in ways that we often don't see until long after it happens. God's power is demonstrated in his perfect planning, his intricate design, his constant presence, and his humility in subtleness. Joseph's life was interlaced with providence and it continued to work in powerful ways because he never gave up faith in his almighty God.
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