At the age of 16, pianist Leon Fleisher made his formal debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic. He went on to win prestigious international competitions and played in the world’s finest concert halls. At the age of 37, Fleisher was struck with dystonia, a neurological condition that crippled his right hand. He went through a period of deep depression and withdrawal. Finally realizing his love for music went beyond playing the piano, he embarked upon a career in conducting and teaching.

How do you react when you find your dreams and hopes shattered by the difficulties of this life? After Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was sold as a slave by his brothers (Gen. 37:12-36), he could have succumbed to self-pity and self-indulgence. Instead Joseph remained true to God. Four times in Genesis 39, we read that “the Lord was with” Joseph (vv.2-3,21,23), and his actions revealed his own faithfulness to God. By his exemplary life, those he served in Egypt recognized God’s presence with him.

Do you love God more than your own dreams? Although Joseph must have grieved the loss of his past and what his life could have been, the Lord led him to a calling he had never imagined. Don’t miss out on what God can do by giving in to the defeats of this life.

Pastor Kevin Wells