Why Joseph Had to Be Imprisoned
Joseph is a man who loves God and people deeply. He is a man of wisdom, knowledge, insight, and great understanding. It was decreed that Joseph must go to Egypt for the fulfillment of his destiny and purpose in life. When the time was right for him to travel, his brothers sold him as a slave to the Ishmaelites, who later sold him to Potiphar of Egypt, one of the king's officers and the captain of the palace guard.
In Potiphar's house, the Lord was with Joseph and made him successful. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master, who saw that the Lord was with Joseph and had made him successful in everything he did. Potiphar was pleased with him and made him his personal servant, putting him in charge of his house and everything he owned. From then on, because of Joseph, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian and everything he had in his house and fields. Potiphar handed everything he had to Joseph's care and did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
However, Joseph was becoming too relaxed and forgetting his dream. God saw that if Joseph remained in Potiphar's house for the next thirteen years, he might lose focus and not be able to handle what was coming. In Jacob's house, Joseph had played it safe, with older siblings taking care of their father's flocks, so he didn't have to do hard labor. Even in Potiphar's house, he didn't have to suffer because of who he was. His destiny didn't permit him to suffer, but God knew that if Joseph wasn’t trained and disciplined, he might not be able to fulfill his task in Egypt.
When God looked around, He saw that the only place Joseph could be trained and disciplined was prison. If He had removed Joseph from Potiphar's house and put him in the house of the poorest man in Egypt, Joseph would have created wealth there because God would always bless whatever he touched. Therefore, Joseph had to be jailed because in prison, no one is allowed to do business. When God saw that the only place Joseph could be trained for the fulfillment of his destiny and purpose in life was the prison yard, He made Potiphar's wife an obstacle that landed him in prison, where he would be trained.
Even in prison, Joseph, the new prisoner, became in charge of all the prisoners there before him. This happened to remind him of who he was and to encourage him, knowing that God had not abandoned him.
What’s the secret truth I’m sharing? Often, we face tribulations because of our destiny and purpose in life. Instead of embracing it and seeking the Lord's guidance, we choose the other way around. We start looking for solutions where there are none and abandon God when we need Him the most. Had Joseph abandoned God in prison, all his years of training would have been useless. But a man of true wisdom knows that when life hits hard, all you need is God to break free.
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