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God is love. We say it all the time. It’s a statement that is both Scriptural and true, but also often called into questioned by believers and nonbelievers alike. Daily the God of the Universe is called into the court of public opinion. How can a God who is love allow suffering into our lives? If God is all-powerful, wouldn’t his love convey us to remove things like death and sorrow and sickness?

Ask Joseph. Joseph was the youngest and favorite son of Jacob, the father of the twelve men whose descendants would become the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph was hated by his brothers because of his father’s favoritism and a few trippy dreams involving his brothers and father bowing at his feet. As a result, he is mugged by his own brothers and thrown in an old, dry well. Then they sold him to merchants, who sold him as a slave in Egypt. He was placed in a position of authority because of his wisdom and work ethic, serving as a head over the affairs of a house owned by a man named Potiphar, a ranking official in Pharaoh’s army. It is believed that at this time, Egypt was at the height of the ’Old Empire’ and was the most powerful nation in the world. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of rape, which resulted in his imprisonment.

How could all these terrible and tragic things happen to someone who loves God and has faith in Him? How can this God be loving? Joseph has gone from being a favored son in a prosperous family, to being an imprisoned slave, spending what should be the best years of his life locked away for God knows how long. Is God punishing Joseph? Is God in control at all? The answer to all this is found in a quote from a friend of mine, Jeremy Noel. “We always say ‘God is love’. But He isn’t sugar cookies”.

God is love. Real, passionate, personal love. But His love is so much more higher than our idea of love. We see love as emotions. Our ‘love’ is very often conditional, self-centered, and self-motivated. Even the purest forms of human love, true and sacrificial love, we can fail to truly do what is best for the other person in the long run. From a ground level point of view, it seems like God has forgotten about Joseph at best, and that Joseph has been abandoned by God at worst. But, as Dr. Randy Smith once said, ‘when we see the dead bunny, God sees the hungry vulture’. God is timeless, and He can see what is coming and what we truly need.

Joseph didn’t know that there would be a seven year famine that had the potential to wipe out all of Canaan, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, but God did. He knew, and it was His plan for Joseph to be the agent of grace that saved the whole Middle Eastern world from starvation. Joseph didn’t know that was coming. He probably pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming when he was made second in command of the nation of Egypt to lead them through preparations for the famine. Joseph didn’t know, he had faith.

Many times in life we expect sugar cookies and get slavery. Our short-sightedness causes us to be disappointed with our lot in life. But God has a plan that is much bigger than you can see, and His love is what drives Him to bring you through trials and give you the opportunity to partner in the grand scheme He is working out graciously through you.