I remember a time when a carefully laid plan, a dream I’d nurtured for months, suddenly imploded. It wasn't a grand, dramatic betrayal, but a quiet, crushing disappointment – a trusted opportunity vanished, a door slammed shut without warning. For a few days, I felt like I was staring into a dark, empty hole. My mind raced, trying to understand, trying to fix, trying to escape. In those moments, it’s easy to feel abandoned, forgotten, or completely out of control.
It makes me think of a young man named Joseph. He understood the feeling of being thrown into a pit far better than most of us ever will. In fact, his brothers, consumed by a festering stew of jealousy and hatred, quite literally threw him into one.
The Vibrant Coat and a Venomous Plot
Imagine the scene: a vibrant, perhaps a little naive, seventeen-year-old Joseph, approaching his older brothers in the dusty fields near Dothan. He’s wearing that magnificent, multi-colored coat his father, Jacob, had given him – a glaring symbol of favoritism that had become a lightning rod for their envy. Joseph, for his part, also had a knack for sharing his prophetic dreams, which only fanned the flames of their resentment.
Their hatred had reached a boiling point. When they saw him coming, one thought eclipsed all others: get rid of him. They didn't just want to hurt him; they wanted to erase him, to silence his dreams forever. And so, they hatched a chilling plan, recorded for us in Genesis:
“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a ferocious animal devoured him. And we shall see what will become of his dreams!” — Genesis 37:20
Can you hear the malice in those words? The cold calculation? The sheer brutality of family turning on family? They stripped him of his coat – a symbolic stripping of his identity and his father's favor – and then, literally, tossed him into a desolate pit. Later, they pulled him out only to sell him into slavery, sealing his fate with a lie to their grieving father.
God's Unseen Hand in the Deepest Pits
This isn't just a dramatic family saga; it's a foundational story for God’s people. When Moses penned these words, likely during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings, he wasn't just recounting ancient history. He was speaking to a nation that knew what it felt like to be hated, enslaved, and seemingly abandoned. They had been thrown into the 'pit' of Egyptian bondage. This story of Joseph would have been a powerful reminder of God’s unwavering faithfulness, even when human evil seems to prevail.
Joseph’s brothers thought they were destroying his dreams. Oh, the dramatic irony! In their twisted act of malice, they were unwittingly setting God’s magnificent plan into motion. What they intended for evil, God was already weaving into a tapestry of salvation, not just for Joseph, but for entire nations (Genesis 50:20). Joseph was abandoned by his family, but he was never abandoned by God.
This is where the profound truth of God's secret work comes into focus. When we are thrown into our own 'pits' – whether by betrayal, injustice, job loss, a devastating diagnosis, or the cruel twists of life – it often feels like God is absent. We can't see His hand; we can only feel the cold, dark walls around us. Our understanding is utterly insufficient.
This is precisely why Scripture urges us to:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5-6
When our understanding fails, our trust in God's unseen, often secret, work must take over. Remember, our God is one who sees what is done in secret (Matthew 6:6). He saw Joseph in that pit. He sees you in yours. His plans don't unravel when human wickedness strikes; rather, He masterfully redeems even the darkest circumstances.
In those moments of turmoil, we are called to:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” — Psalm 46:10
To be still means to stop striving, to stop trying to figure it all out, and to simply acknowledge His sovereignty over every broken piece. Our true life isn't found in avoiding pits, but in cultivating a deep, abiding faith that Christ lives within us, even there. As Paul reminds us, it is a life lived by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20).
Cultivating Deep Trust in the Darkness
When you encounter a situation today that feels like being 'thrown in a pit' – a moment of unfairness, betrayal, profound disappointment, or shattered dreams – pause before letting despair or anger take root. Acknowledge the pain; it's real. But then, in a quiet moment, declare your trust in God’s unseen hand. You might say aloud, “God, I don't understand this, but I trust that you are at work.”
This simple act of surrender shifts your focus from the problem to the unchanging character of God. It acknowledges that He is present in the darkness, orchestrating a plan far grander than we can ever imagine. Joseph’s story, tragically begun in that pit, ultimately reveals a profound truth: God’s purposes cannot be thwarted, and His redemptive love can transform even the deepest wounds into paths of deliverance. Trust Him with your pit; He knows exactly what to do with it.