As a young boy, Joseph's life seemed ideal! He had received encouraging dreams from God and his father loved him very much -- but his life events took a drastic turn. Joseph's jealous brothers tossed him in a pit (Genesis 37:22), sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:27), and then Joseph ended up in prison (Genesis 39:19-20). Throughout these ordeals, Joseph kept his faith in God. By relying on God to help him interpret Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph was given the role of Governor of Egypt. Joseph's life shows us that even when things seem bad, we need to hold fast to God and trust that He will see us through life's challenging situations (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

Joseph wanted to perform well as a servant to Potiphar, but Potiphar's wife lied about Joseph. Potiphar threw Joseph in prison. This hurt Joseph. Instead of becoming bitter, Joseph chose to trust in God throughout his trials in prison. As a result, "the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden" (Genesis 39:21-23). The warden put him in charge over all those held in prison. God blessed Joseph to have success in whatever he did. Learn from Joseph. Do not lie. Be brave enough to tell the truth. And when people lie about you, do not seek revenge. Jesus taught us to, "Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:44-45a).

Yes! The Bible tells us that God speaks through many different ways, including dreams. But everything that we believe is a message from God should be tested by making sure it is found in the Bible. In Acts 2:17, the Apostle Peter quotes the prophet Joel from the Old Testament: "'In the last days,’ God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.'" This is one of the ways that God will speak to us and reveal His will to us. The Bible says in Job 33:14-15, "For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds." God promises that we will hear His voice (John 10:27), and He sometimes uses our dreams to help us hear Him clearly.

God has given each person on earth the right to choose good or evil – just like He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Sometimes, when people choose to do bad things, innocent people can get hurt. That is why it is important that we do the right thing all the time. The book of James teaches us, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow" (James 1:2-3). We live in a sinful world where some people do bad things to other people. But if we put our trust in God and forgive those who hurt us, the Lord can turn bad things to good in our lives. The Apostle Paul tells us, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28).

The Lord revealed to Joseph that He was the one who sent him to Egypt, even though he used his brothers to do it. In Genesis 45:7, Joseph tells his brothers, "God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors." Sometimes it looks like the bad things that are happening in our lives could never be a part of God's plan. When Joseph was sold into slavery, betrayed, or sent to jail, he probably questioned God. But later he realized that the Lord had a purpose in all the trouble -- to preserve the promise He made to Abraham. God will protect you through trouble if you put your trust in Him. Psalm 18:2 says, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety." So when things get hard in your life, take a moment to thank God that He is working it all out for your good -- and for His loving plan.