The top of the mountain is often disguised as the bottom of the pit… and vice versa.
Genesis 37:12-36
A cancer diagnosis… Graduating from college…
What could these two things possibly have in common?
Well, directly… nothing.
Indirectly… a lot.
But you’ve probably already figured that out.
One is the bottom of the pit and the other is the top of the mountain.
First of all, let me say that I don’t mean to minimize the anguish, fear, and danger of a cancer diagnosis. For the record, I’ve personally never heard those words. I have, however; experienced them through others, who by the way, are more precious to me than any gold or silver. It was during that time, through their unshakeable faith, that I came to understand the common theme between a pit and a mountaintop.
Today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verses are an account where God shows us that very thing.
Can you imagine being thrown into a pit by your brothers and left there to die?
Think for a minute about what that would feel like… You’re deep inside a cistern, aka a well; and you can’t get out. More than likely, there’s bugs, snakes, and all kinds of critters down there that you really don’t want to have to deal with. But, what are you going to do? You’re down in a hole and there’s no way to get out.
I’d say that’s about as low as you can get.
But what about a mountaintop? How does that compare to a pit?
Good question.
Think back to your college graduation ceremony. (For this Blogmeister – think waaaay back!)
By the way, if you’ve never personally experienced a college graduation, think of another event in your life that placed you on the mountaintop.
So there you are, on top of the world – looking forward to the greatness that’s out in front of you. Everything is there for the taking. Nothing can bring you down from such a high place. It’s so high in fact that we might even begin to think that we’re better than anyone else.
But things are never completely as they seem.
It’s from the mountaintop, that we can become haughty with pride. Or, if you’re not careful, you’ll take a wrong step and go tumbling down the mountain — into a valley so deep that you’ll feel as though you can never climb out.
So, what’s the common theme?
God’s plan.
To be more specific, God’s perfect plan.
The problem is, His perfect plan involves imperfect people (us) who want to take matters into our own hands and make it our plan.
Bad idea.
The Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is this: Pray to have the strength and courage to release our own perception of what we see – the hills and the valleys… the pits and the mountaintops. Pray to see all things that happen to us (and those we love) as an opportunity to use the power of our faith in God to overcome our desperation and fear. And when we’re on a mountaintop, pray for the spiritual maturity to know that mountaintops are there because God took us there. Pray to be prepared when the mountaintop becomes slippery and we so easily tumble into the valley. And finally, pray to give God glory at all times and show others the power of His grace and mercy.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.“
One thing I would point out in those verses… Nowhere does it say that God will remove you from the pit. There’s nothing mentioned about a cancer diagnosis being erased. What it does say is that the “peace of God” – which is something we can never understand, will guard your heart and mind – through His son, Jesus Christ.
I don’t know about you, but the peace of God beats a ladder any day of the week.
Genesis 37:12-36
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
Very strong message today, Ken. I have heard the cancer diagnosis words and even though, as my surgeon put it “Your house isn’t burning down’ it’s a diagnosis that strikes you at your core. Your family as well. And, likewise, those million or so years ago when I graduated from college, I was on a youthful pinnacle. Those intervening years have taught me that God does provide a way but doesn’t do it for you. That’s why you need that Power as your guide.