Jamin Bradley

I’ve known a handful of people who have been on the brink of death over and over again, yet they’ve miraculously pulled through. In some of their stories—which are not mine to tell—there’s a crystal clear touch of the supernatural, in which God comes through to save their lives, for he is not done with them. His love and favor are upon them, as he is resolute to tell a different story.

Joseph is one such character in the Bible. God prophesied destiny over him in prophetic dreams, telling him that he would become someone of great authority. Joseph shared his visions of grandeur with his jealous brothers, provoking them to kill him. But somewhere along the way, one of the brothers altered the plan, getting Joseph sold into slavery instead.

This is the story as we know it, so we naturally assume that God made this situation happen. After all, slavery will lead him to Egypt, which will lead him to Potiphar’s house, which will lead him to prison, which will lead him to get to know some prisoners who will mention him to the Pharoah, which will lead him to get to know Pharoah, which will eventually make him Pharoah’s right-hand man, fulfilling the dream of grandeur God once gave him. So this must have been God’s plan all along, right?

An open theist, such as myself, might see this story differently. While God certainly “pre-destined” Joseph’s rise to power, there may have been many paths as to how God got him there. Perhaps if Joseph didn’t brag about his dreams his brothers wouldn’t have sold him. Perhaps the only reason Joseph wasn’t killed by his brothers was because God planted the thought to sell him instead. Perhaps Joseph was never meant to be in Potiphar’s house, but God blessed him there so that he would grow in stature. Perhaps Joseph was never meant to be sent to prison, but God created a scenario for him to interpret dreams while he was there so that he would get out.

God engaged with every story along the way to bring about his ultimate will. It’s not that he didn’t see this particular storyline as a possibility, but there may have been several other ways forward that were crossed off along the way. This thinking is perhaps best embodied in a statement the Holy Spirit whispered to one of my congregants as they were given a vision of many paths forward for their life: “Here are the possibilities I have ordained.”

Where is your story right now? Where might it go? Remain faithful and obedient and ask God that you might partner with him to walk his desired path forward.