(Catch up on the series here.)

Sometimes it takes a complete stranger to rescue you.

While the brothers were busy being deceptive, and Jacob was overcome with grief, Joseph was sold in Egypt as a slave to Potiphar, captain of Pharoah’s guard.

Joseph ended up living in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar recognized that God was with Joseph and caused everything he did to be successful.

Other than Joseph’s birth, this is the first mention of God in his story. It’s ironic that it wasn’t until Joseph was rejected by his family and sold into slavery that God caused him to be successful. Nevertheless, Potiphar recognized this and became fond of Joseph, putting him in charge of his home and personal affairs. From then on, God blessed Potiphar because of Joseph.

If I’m being honest, the whole scene is frustrating to me. Would any of us ever choose to be rejected by our families and sold into slavery before we became successful? Would any of us ever choose to be a slave and have God bless our master because of us? Not likely.

Let’s take God out of the picture for a moment. (Gasp!) Hang with me, though.

If we consider the events that occurred without looking at them from a spiritual perspective, we can see that it took strangers to rescue Joseph from his dysfunctional family (including those who had plotted his murder). Strangers bought and sold him, and a stranger recognized his tendency to succeed.

(Note: I’m in no way saying slavery was his salvation. We just have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story and that this particular scenario was a stepping stone out of the pit to greater things.)

Sometimes when we’ve given up and hope seems elusive, it takes a complete stranger to rescue us. I’ve found that to be true in my own life more than once.

It may take a stranger to help us see our way out of dire situations. It may take a stranger to breathe life back into our dreams. It may take a stranger to teach us a new way to function and live.

I’ve learned to pay attention when a stranger shows up in my life in a significant way. Perhaps there’s a plan in motion I can’t see.

Surely, Joseph was glad to be alive, but I’m guessing being sold into slavery wasn’t his idea of rescue. But we’ll see later the shift in the story that led to an ever greater rescue.