God’s Final Chapter

“Here comes the master dreamer!” Genesis 37:19

It’s easy to feel hopeless and desperate if we focus on the darkness that hovers on the horizon. 120,000 businesses have closed. The telecasts are filled with corruption, abusive officials and so much bad news about the ongoing pandemic. A cybersex den is discovered in the province. Instead of getting less, the drug menace seems to be getting worse. Is there hope for our country? Will the 2022 elections be another frustrating chapter in our telenovela of a country? 

Reading about Joseph in Genesis 37-50, we see that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New, as St. Augustine perceptively observed. Joseph and Jesus’ stories have parallels that can’t be coincidence. Joseph’s story foreshadows Jesus in uncanny ways just as Moses’ story does as well.  Both Joseph and Jesus were beloved of their fathers and both were sent, “Get ready, I will send you to them.” Both Joseph and Jesus foretold that they would rule, both were stripped of their robes and viciously betrayed and delivered up to the Gentiles for a few pieces of silver. The two men were falsely accused yet remained faithful amidst trial and temptation. Joseph ended up in a cistern and Jesus an empty tomb, only to rise up and save their people. 

When all may seem dark and hopeless, we only have to see how God works behind the scenes. He sees the big picture of our lives, our country, and our world. The deceitful enemy may plot our downfall, saying, “We shall then see what comes of his dreams.” (Gen. 37:20) But we can depend on God to use the broken pieces for our victory. He is never defeated by evil. Just as the trials of both Joseph and Jesus were part of God’s plan to bless His people, we should be confident that our hardships are not the end of the story. God our loving Father has already written the final triumphant chapter. To paraphrase what one of my favorite preachers says all the time, we may not trace His hand right now, but we can sure trust His heart. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)