The Bible is coloured by stories of God's generals who went through great trial, and appeared lonely and forsaken, but who had a very happy ending to their lives.
When God calls out a man, He may choose to let the one go through various things to shape and mould them into His ultimate purpose. Many servants of God go through things that others do not understand. Some even mock and ridicule them in their ignorance. Joseph was a happy child of Jacob. He was loved and shielded by his father. Joseph had only known love and protection, and yet God allowed him to be thrown into the deep end. God caused Joseph to be abandoned, and to walk a very lonely path. God permitted and allowed this suffering to weave together his plans and purposes for the life of Joseph, and Israel at large. Joseph was looked down as a mere slave; a common prisoner!
This was so unlike the life he had known whilst growing up in his wealthy father's home. But God chose this painful training school to create a great leader and saviour of Israel. Those that lorded it over Joseph and may have ridiculed and maltreated him, became his subjects when God turned around his captivity. Joseph's brothers who had appeared to be better off than him when he was captured as a slave, were no where near his match in his time of lifting. Joseph was a nobody at a point in time in Egypt, but when rest came from God, he became the man well sought after.
About Joseph, the Psalmist wrote : He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.
The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
Psalm 105:17-22
Sometimes the lonely roads are all a part of God's preparation for greatness.
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