God was using all these letdowns in Joseph’s life for a greater good. All his pain and adversity would be redeemed one day. Each apparent setback moved him one step closer to Pharaoh’s court.

As we try to be faithful to God, we need to remember this, too. Sometimes our faithful obedience will lead where we expect; we will see God bring good from it. At other times, our faithful obedience will lead where Joseph’s did – we will experience adversity because of it, but in time we will see how God used it for His good. But there is a third way God might use our faithful obedience. We might experience adversity because of it but never see God bring good from it in this life. During these times, we need to be careful to understand that God has promised to work all things together for His glory and our good, but He has not promised we will see how He does that. As God’s people, we must seek to serve God and trust Him, whether we see gain and reward or not.

• How has God brought good from adversity you have experienced because of your obedience?