Day 8: The Tapestry

Read: Genesis 37:12-36

Life is like a tapestry. When you look at the back, you see a mess. Some strings are tangled while other spaces are barren. Some strings are knotted while others don’t continue any further. It’s easy to get confused and throw it aside as a piece of garbage. But when you look at the front, you see a piece of art. This is similar to our perspective compared to God’s. When we look at life, we see a series of opportunities, closed doors, callings, hard seasons, relationships, and more that may not seem like should go together. But God sees the big picture. He sees the front of the tapestry, the beautiful image that the tangled strings, blank spaces, and knots work together to form.

At first glance, this passage in Genesis 37 seems like a hopeless mess. In the last chapter we read, Joseph shared a dream with his brothers wherein they bowed down to him as he reigned over them. So as we enter this chapter we know that they already hated him. He was already their father’s favorite, and that dream sent their jealousy over the edge. They plotted to kill him, but when they got a “better” offer, they decided to sell him to slave traders instead. 

Favoritism, hatred, jealousy, and mourning fill this part of the story. Sin is rampant. The brothers’ plotting is disgusting and Joseph’s situation seems hopeless. Yet, God’s hand is present. We see through Joseph’s dream that even before his brothers started to plot against him, God was already planning on using their hatred for something better. He didn’t make the brothers hate Joseph, but He knew they would. God knew they would plot against him and He planned to use it for a greater good before the mess even began. He already had plans for the end of the story where Joseph became a leader in Egypt.  

Just as God saw the big picture in Joseph’s story, He sees the big picture of ours too . We see the back of the tapestry. We see the messy areas of life and the ones God decides not to fill and the ones that He ties the knots on, but God sees the finished picture He is creating. We see the confusing, messy, unfinished ends while God sees a work of art. 

There is hope in the circumstances that seem hopeless because this God who sees the whole picture is faithful and unchanging. He can be trusted. When the rest of life is shaky and confusing, God is steady and dependable. 

Is there a part of life that you are questioning God’s hand in? Ask Him to give you a peace founded on the fact that He sees the bigger picture and can be trusted. I encourage you to thank Him for His faithfulness in it. It can be hard to do, but it’s a good muscle to grow!