Life treated Jacob very well. His favorite son, Joseph, flourished in every way. Jacob thoroughly enjoyed watching his son become a man. The future looked very bright; Jacob anticipated a perfect ending to life’s story for Joseph.
But things didn’t turn out very well. Jacob’s other sons presented physical evidence that a wild animal had killed Joseph. After assuming that Joseph was dead, Jacob fell into great depression. “All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted,” Genesis 37:35.
When things don’t work out and perfect endings don’t happen, we can live above the depression.
Jacob jumped to conclusions. He assumed Joseph was dead. All the time Papa Jacob mourned for his son, Joseph lived in Egypt. God was in the process of completing his plans and purposes for Jacob’s son. Jacob thought the end of the story had arrived, but it had not. You see, with God nothing ends. There are phases to our lives. There are seasons in our life span. But those who trust in Jesus live eternally, and his purposes never finish unfolding. When things don’t work out well, don’t conclude that things will never work out. God isn’t finished with you. The end of the story hasn’t arrived, so don’t mourn as if everything’s over.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord,” Psalm 27:14. When things don’t turn out perfectly, we choose to wait for the conclusion God will bring about. Don’t draw your own conclusions, but keep your eyes on the Lord who is bigger than a season, a phase or an event. In fact, he’s bigger than the occurrence we call death. Life always goes on, so we praise him for the ending he will bring about. We needn’t worry about imperfect endings. God can transform the most imperfect ending into the most glorious victory. When perfect endings elude you, hurl yourself into his protection. “I am the Lord. Those who hope in me will not be disappointed,” Isaiah 49:23.
