Have you ever heard the “Serenity Prayer”?  The oldest form goes like this:

“O God, give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed,
The courage to change what can be changed,
and the wisdom to know the one from the other.”

This is attributed to the late theologian Reinhold Neibuhr.  But if we were to search for one person from the Old Testament whose life seems like the inspiration for this prayer, then it must be Joseph.

It was simply like a rollercoaster ride filled with ups and downs and crazy twists.

Here is a brief overview

Up:  The Scriptures say that Joseph was loved by Jacob more than his brothers because he was born during his father’s twilight years.

Still Up: Joseph dreamt that his brothers would bow down to him.  He told them.

Down: Consumed by jealousy and envy, Joseph’s brothers kidnapped him and planned to kill him.

Down and a twist: The brothers sold Joseph as a slave.

Up: Joseph is bought by Potiphar, the Captain of the Guard in Egypt.

Up: Joseph does his best and he becomes the most trusted slave in Potiphar’s household.

Down: Joseph was seduced by Potiphar’s wife.  He refused her.  In return, she accused him of rape.  Potiphar believed his wife. Joseph is jailed.

Up: Joseph did his best and became the person in charge of his fellow prisoners.

A level track: Joseph interpreted two prisoners’ dreams.  His interpretations were correct.  One was executed while the other got his old job back as a servant of the pharaoh.

Down:  Joseph’s case was forgotten by the freed prisoner.  Joseph languished in jail for years.

Up: Pharaoh had a dream that cannot be interpreted by his wise men.  Joseph’s case was remembered and so he was called by the Pharaoh to interpret his dreams.

Up:  The Pharoah made Joseph the governor of Egypt.

Twist: There was famine in the land, Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to buy and trade for what they needed to survive. They don’t recognize him.

Twist and Down: Joseph tested his brothers to see if they had changed.

Up: Joseph forgave them, and he is reunited with his father and brothers once again.

Joseph went through a lot before rising to the top.  But each time he was put in a new situation, whether it was favorable or not, he was able to keep his integrity intact because he believed that God was in control.

Let’s face it.  Times change.  Circumstances change.

God does not.

Our faith in Him should not.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7)