Have you ever looked around your life and wondered if God has stopped working?
You pray, but nothing changes. You wait, but the answer doesn’t come. The job is still uncertain. The relationship is still broken. The diagnosis hasn’t improved. The grief still hurts. From where you stand, it feels like heaven has gone quiet.
The hardest seasons aren’t always the most painful ones. They’re the ones when nothing changes.
If you’ve ever felt like your life is stuck while the Lord seems silent, Genesis 37 ends with a verse you need to read.
Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Genesis 37:36, New International Version
By the time we arrive at the final verse of the chapter, Joseph’s world has completely fallen apart. His brothers have betrayed him. He’s been thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, and carried hundreds of miles away from home. His father believes he is dead. His brothers are living behind a lie. Joseph now belongs to someone else.
Then Moses records one seemingly ordinary sentence: “Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.”
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much, right? There’s no miracle. No dramatic rescue. No explanation from the Lord. Joseph simply arrives in Egypt as a slave.
But don’t miss the first word: Meanwhile.
While Jacob was grieving…
Meanwhile, the Lord was working.
While Joseph wondered what had become of his life…
Meanwhile, the Lord was working.
While the brothers believed they had gotten away with their sin…
Meanwhile, the Lord was working.
That one word reminds us that the Lord’s activity often takes place behind the scenes.
What looked like the end of Joseph’s story was actually the beginning of the Lord’s rescue plan. Potiphar’s house would lead to Pharaoh’s prison. Pharaoh’s prison would lead to Pharaoh’s palace. Pharaoh’s palace would position Joseph to save countless lives during a devastating famine, including the very family that had betrayed him. Through Joseph, the Lord would preserve His covenant people and continue the story that would one day lead to the Messiah.
None of that was visible in Genesis 37. All Joseph could see was slavery. All the Lord could see was the salvation of nations.
That’s often true in our lives, too. We interpret our circumstances through today’s pain, while the Lord is accomplishing tomorrow’s purpose. We assume that because we cannot see His hand, He must not be moving. But Scripture reminds us that the Lord’s providence is often invisible until we look back.
Maybe your life feels like Genesis 37 right now. You can’t see a way forward. You’re waiting for answers that haven’t come. You wonder if God has forgotten you.
He hasn’t.
Your story may feel stalled, but the Lord’s plan is not. The same God who quietly positioned Joseph exactly where he needed to be is still faithfully directing the lives of His people today.
Identify one area of your life where you’ve concluded, “Nothing is happening.” Then spend time thanking the Lord, not for what you can see, but for what He is doing behind the scenes. Ask Him for the faith to trust His “meanwhile” before you ever see the ending.
Thank you for supporting the mission of Life Meets Theology through our great sponsors. Check out this week’s sponsor below.
Life Meets Theology 