Our inward and outward journeys can be in different directions

The last great journey of Genesis is that of Joseph, and in many ways it seems to be a journey downwards- outwardly, things started to go wrong for Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery to a caravan of Ishmaelites, and got worse when he arrived in Egypt and was falsely accused of harassing Potiphar's wife.

'And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison.' Genesis 39: 20

 Far from being a journey of opportunity, of excitement, of promise, this is a journey which Joseph did not choose to make, and which results in loss of opportunity and freedom. The fate of Joseph at this point mirrors that of God's people, who within a few generations found themselves working for the Egyptians as slaves.

These Old Testament stories warn us against assuming that journeys will always lead to better things.

When things go wrong, how do we respond? Do we think God has abandoned us? Do we believe that if He was with us, He would have prevented bad things happening? How do we make sense of the ups and downs of our journey through life?

Perhaps our inward journeys are more significant than the outward ones:

'But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love.'  Genesis 39:21

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