Jesus, use this Old Testament event about a young man named Joseph whom God had special plans for. Help me learn from his mistakes and successes. Show me how he started out with positive emotions of being loved by his father because his father actually considered him his favorite. However, teach me that when parents have favorites, this creates real problems with the other children. Plus, show me how Joseph didn’t handle his relationship with his brothers well. He did what spoiled brats tend to do; he tattled on his brothers and tried to get them into trouble. Show me that this is where things started going down hill for Joseph. Use Joseph’s life as an example of how to handle bad situations that tend to push people into emotional crisis. Help me see that Joseph’s emotional crisis was caused by relationships; and, even though that may not be the major cause of my issue, help me be able to identify with his emotional crisis. Teach me that the CAUSE of my crisis isn’t as important as how I handle the emotional crisis in MY life. Let me be blessed and helped through the examples in his life.

Gen 37:2-4 (NIV) This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Jesus, help me see that the damage in my heart can often start out because of bad relationships; however, help me understand that it can also be caused by life struggles, finances, physical conditions, circumstances, a loss of a loved one, and spiritual issues. Teach me that these things cause my heart to be overwhelmed, have doubts, experience fears, feel depressed, enter into hopelessness, get frustrated, lash out in anger, and many other emotional reactions. Show me that they cause damage to my heart because they are bad things happening in me. Help me understand that I can especially be damaged emotionally if a lot of bad things happen to me all at once or one right after another. Show me that this challenges my faith, trust, reliance, and dependency on God.

Gen 37:5 (NIV) Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. Jesus, help me understand Joseph’s motives when he tried to impress his brothers who were already mad at him. Show me that he tried to impress them with a dream that God gave him. But, help me keep in mind that everyone makes mistakes. Show me that sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard I try to win people over or make my life better, it seems like all my efforts backfire on me. Teach me that when things go from bad to worse, it can drain my hope, faith, and positive expectations.

Jesus, when I am already depressed or frustrated, help me realize that other negative issues can really take me down or make me even more frustrated. But, show me that there was a work of God that had shined a special light into Joseph’s life. God gave Joseph two dreams that revealed something extremely important to Joseph. His life was going to have many setbacks that would try to destroy him. But, these dreams were given to him so he could hold on to them for the rest of his life.

Jesus, I may not remember it; but, there is something God has spoken to me at some point in my life. Help me go back to a time when God caused me to feel special. Remind me that He told me that I was going to be a special person. He helped me feel like there was something I was going to do that was important. But, help me see that this “dream” He gave me may be crushed and downplayed; but, it was real and true for my future.

Jesus, make it clear to me that God has VERY special plans for me; He has a dream that He wants me to embrace. He gave it to me for me to hold onto so as to help me face this time of struggle with life. Teach me that it doesn’t matter what kind of messages I am getting from circumstances and other people; God’s message to me is the only message that counts. Show me how important I am to You; give me back that dream again.

Gen 37:6-8 (NIV) He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

Jesus, help me understand that Joseph’s life-struggle was forming through relationships; he was failing to realize that he was creating major hostility against himself. His brother’s attitudes were growing against him no matter how much Joseph tried to help them see his value. Show me that bragging isn’t the answer for winning friends. Help me see that his difficulties were just as hard on him as my struggles with life are on me. Help me see that he was experiencing pain from his life-challenges just like I am.

Jesus, sometimes I try to impress others by bragging on myself. Since those around me don’t seem to be impressed, I start trying to point out my own qualities. However, the more I brag, the less people want to be around me. Teach me that bragging comes across as me saying that I am better than them. That doesn’t mean that, that was my message; I was just trying to help them like me. But, show me that it causes people to pull away from me more. If I do what I think should help me have more friends and it makes things worse, help me see that, that is very hurtful and confusing to me. Show me that when I come to God with pride, it hurts my relationship with Him also. However, make it clear to me that You have a way for me to develop friendships with people and with God through a very different system.

Gen 37:9-11 (NIV) Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Jesus, help me see that the reason God was giving Joseph these two dreams was for his future. God wanted Joseph to have these promises buried inside his heart. Help me see that God didn’t give them to him so he could try to impress people; He gave them to him so he could battle his issues. Help me yield to your evaluation of me so I don’t try to get my esteem and confidence through bragging.

Jesus use these illustrations in Genesis 37:12-17, as Joseph headed into God’s future plans for his life. Help me see that they are going to be challenging life-classes that will try to make him feel so overwhelmed that He gives up on life. Teach me why God would design a difficult life that had struggles, problems, and emotionally challenging aspects to them. Help me fully embrace the reasons for what I am going through; show me that I am very important to some people who are going to need my help. Right now it seems like I am not even able to be helped myself. But, make it clear to me that God is going to lead me through this issue with life and bring me out victorious.

Jesus, help me see that victory over my struggle with life is in itself a wonderful thing; but, also help me see that it is going to help me learn some principles that are going to be life-saving to other people I meet. Just like God had plans for Joseph that needed some very special training; help me understand that He has them for me. Show me that just like they were very difficult for Joseph, they are very difficult for me. But, help me see that they took him to a wonderful place where large quantities of people were blessed through him; and, they will be blessed through me.

Jesus, teach me that my problem with life hasn’t entered into my life so as to destroy me; show me that it is actually going to be something You and I use to help me be a winner. Teach me that if I don’t have any struggles, then I can’t win any battles. Remind me that all successful athletes, successful professionals, successful parents, and successful marriages have faced major difficulties. They just did what it took to win over them. Help me win and win in a powerful way. Show me that everyone around me is suffering with some kind of struggle in their life. They can try to handle it alone; they can try to handle it through other humans; or, they can handle it through supernatural power by turning to You; help me turn to You.