“Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Know this: I’ve given you authority over the entire land of Egypt” (Genesis 42:41, CEB).
Who doesn’t love a good comeback story? In 1919, Harry Reese lost his job with the Hershey Company. As the father of ten children, Harry had no means to support his family.
Yet Harry took this bitter defeat and turned it into a sweet idea. While working for the Hershey Company, Harry had learned a few tricks about making chocolate candy. After many attempts in his kitchen to create a new confection, Harry Reese created the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. This newly discovered treat eventually became known as the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. What appeared at one point in Harry Reese’s life to be a devastating downturn wound up becoming a victorious turnaround.
Who would have guessed that such a U-turn could be possible? Well, God for one. The story of Joseph is a rags-to-riches tale. Joseph faced more than his fair share of setbacks. Joseph was sold by his brothers to a band of slave traders. He was falsely accused and convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Finally, Joseph was betrayed by a man who vowed to make an appeal for Joseph’s release from jail.
However, when God is involved failure never will have the final word. In fact, God used the stumbling blocks from Joseph’s past and turned them into building blocks for the future. Through divine providence, this one-time dungeon dweller became a palace prince, second in command to Pharaoh himself.
These stories of trial to triumph should come as good news to all of us. God is the champion of the comeback. There is no dream that has been dashed, no mistake you have made, or no trouble you have undertaken that God cannot redeem, restore, and make right, once again. Even more, the turnarounds that God orchestrated for Joseph and Harry Reese, God will ordain you.
So, don’t quit. Don’t give into despair. With God as the co-author of your story, no setback you face need be the final curtain call, but instead the opening to a second act.