Lost in the maze of life

Lost in Life's Maze? Why God's Detours Aren't Dead Ends

 Have you ever been completely lost in a corn maze, walking in circles, convinced you've seen the same wall three times already? That frustrating feeling of not knowing which direction leads to freedom – that's exactly what life feels like sometimes. But what if I told you that being lost in the maze might be exactly where God wants you?

Joseph's Journey: A Life in the Maze

 Let me tell you about a guy named Joseph from the Old Testament who lived his entire life in what seemed like an impossible maze. Joseph was Jacob's favorite son, and his father gave him this beautiful coat of many colors. But his brothers hated him for it, and one day they decided to get rid of him. "Let's not kill him. Let's just, you know, put him in this pit," they said. They sold him into slavery, and he ended up in Egypt while his father spent years thinking Joseph had been killed by wild beasts.

 But here's where it gets interesting. Joseph goes to Egypt and starts working for this guy named Potiphar. "He does great work for this guy. This guy puts him in charge of everything but his wife." Then Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph, and when he refuses, she falsely accuses him. So Joseph gets thrown into prison.

 "And what does he do in prison? Well, he works hard, he proves himself and he becomes in charge of the prison." Then one day, a baker and cupbearer end up in prison with dreams they can't understand. Joseph interprets their dreams correctly and asks the cupbearer to remember him when he gets out. "And you know what happened…The cupbearer didn't remember him."

When Good People Get Evil in Return

 Here's what's so hard about Joseph's story: "Joseph did good things and he got evil in return." Think about it – he interpreted dreams for the cupbearer and baker, pouring his best into them, and "what you get in return is forgotten. What you get in return is nothing."

 "I want you to understand something. Joseph did good things and he got evil in return... He was in that maze and he might have been going around in circles over and over and over again. But what we see with Joseph is he had a bigger idea than we do.” He believed God was doing something while he was in the maze.

 This reminds me of ministry, honestly. "It'll tell you what it is like sometimes to minister and to pour into people that you will pour in, you will give them your best, and what you get in return is forgotten."

Living the Dream in the Nightmare

 People ask me all the time how I'm doing, and I always say, "I'm living the dream." They look at me funny sometimes, especially when life gets tough. People tell me sometimes that they are living a nightmare. My response is I'm living a dream not because my life is perfect but, like Joseph, I want to believe God has me. Joseph lived the dream his whole life. He lived a dream in the pit, when he was sold into slavery, when he was in the prison, and when he was 2nd in command of Egypt, he was living the dream."

 How could Joseph maintain this perspective? Because "he knew that God was going to answer all of his needs according to God riches, according to God’s glory."

God Has the Aerial View

 When you're in a maze, you're not really sure which way to go. But if you take an aerial look you can see the steps to take to get to the end. But if you're in it, you can't see it. I want to tell you something. “God has the aerial footage of your life."

 This is the game-changer, friends. "He can see from the top, and he knows which direction you need to go. But sometimes the direction is not the way out. It's the way deeper into the maze because he's trying to do something."

When Missteps Aren't Mistakes

 Here's something that'll encourage you: "A misstep does not lead to destruction. Giving up does." I learned this lesson taking high school kids through a corn maze one time. They led us in complete circles until we ended up right back at the start. "They're like, we found our way out. I said, look at the sign. And they're like, what? Oh, it's start... But we haven't lost. We didn't lose because we started over again."

 "What is the Bible? Anything but a recipe for Genesis through almost all the way through into Revelation of people making a mistake. And God saying, okay, now get yourself up. Let's actually do it right this time."

The Perfect Timing of Delays

 Remember when Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him? What if the cupbearer had actually done it right away? "This is what I believe would have happened... the Cupbearer is back with Pharaoh. And he tells Pharaoh, hey, I know a guy... And Pharaoh would have said, okay, cool, release him now. What is he doing? He's trying to find a job somewhere."

 But when Pharaoh finally called for Joseph years later, it was because Pharaoh desperately needed dream interpretation. Joseph not only interpreted the dream but essentially handed Pharaoh his resume for managing the coming famine. "Sometimes our missteps are God saying, if you get out right now, you are going to miss the greatest thing is going to happen to you next."

The Holy Spirit: Your Personal Guide

"There's one thing that you and I have that Joseph didn't have, and that's the Holy Spirit." In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go, but Jesus promised us a helper who would always be with us.

 First Corinthians 2:10-12 tells us that God has revealed things to us "through the Spirit... that we might understand the things freely given us by God." The Holy Spirit "sees our maze and he knows what step is the right step, even the step that might lead us to what seems like a dead end or a roundabout."

 Isaiah 30:21 promises, "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, this is the way, walk in it when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."Learning to Listen and Obey

 But here's where I get convicted: "Why is it that we so often... hear something from God and fight with God on whether it's from God or not. And the crazy part is I'm always fighting when it's a good thing that I'm supposed to be doing."

 Like when God prompts you to buy someone coffee or pay for the car behind you at McDonald's. "I look in the rearview mirror a lot of times and I judge the person. I'm like, are they worthy for me to pay?... Why do we even question that? Because, can I tell you, I'm selfish. So are you, just FYI." I would not just out of the blue want to spend my money on someone else that I don’t know. Yet I question whether that urge to buy something, or do something, for someone that I don’t know is from God or not…that’s ridiculous; of course it’s from the all loving God of the Universe. 

The End of the Story

 Eventually, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for food during the famine, not knowing their brother was now second in command. When Joseph finally revealed himself, he said something incredible in Genesis 50:20: "As for you, you meant evil against me... But my God turned it... The evil that you meant for me actually turned out to me saving you."

 Joseph understood that God had been orchestrating everything. "Every chance that happened, he said, I'm going to give my best... Why? Because he knew that God was going to come through in the end."

Putting It Into Practice

 Trust God's Timing "I want to speak to somebody prophetically this morning... I know you believe that you've waited long enough that your miracle needs to be there... Maybe another day, another two years, another five years, but God is doing something great."

 Don't Stop Moving Forward "Joseph did not retreat to the beginning. He kept going forward. Every chance that happened, he said, I'm going to give my best." When you're in the maze, keep moving. Don't let past hurts or current confusion paralyze you.

 Ask the Holy Spirit for Direction "I think one of the greatest things that you and I can really learn is we have to learn to ask the Holy Spirit about every single step... Holy Spirit, what are you saying? In this moment?"

 Remember God's Bigger Picture "Wherever I'm at in the maze is a moment for God to form me into a greater image of himself." God isn't just trying to get you out of the maze – He's using the maze to shape you.

 The bottom line is this: "It's okay. It's okay. If you've made a mistake, just don't stop. It's okay if you're bewildered and not sure if the next step is left or right. It's okay. Learn to rest in God."

 You might be lost in life's maze right now, but remember – you're not too powerful to break God's plan. He's got the aerial view, He's working all things together for good, and He's not finished with your story yet.