July 30, 2025
Joseph – Faith That Endures
Devotions from the life of a dreamer with character
5. Sold by His Brothers – Valued by God
When people want to get rid of you – and God still has a plan
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Introduction
What do you do when the people from whom you expect love, protection, and support give you the opposite? When they not only turn their backs on you but actively cast you out of their lives? That’s exactly what happened to Joseph. His brothers, driven by jealousy and frustration, sold him like a piece of merchandise. And while Joseph was being led away into a foreign land, his brothers believed the matter was over. But they were wrong: What was the end for them was only the beginning for God.
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Devotional
Genesis 37:28
“Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”
It’s hard to bear: Joseph was sold by his own brothers – not just physically let go, but emotionally abandoned. What must have hurt even more: he heard their voices, felt their coldness, saw their indifference. No protest, no hesitation. Instead of a conversation about reconciliation or understanding, a price was negotiated. Twenty silver coins – that’s what he was worth to them.
But if you look closer, a deeper truth is revealed in this tragic scene: People may devalue you, but that doesn’t mean your worth disappears. People may reject you, but that changes nothing about God’s plan. Joseph was sold – but he was never abandoned by God. On the contrary, God began to position him within a bigger picture.
How often do we feel “sold” ourselves – in a figurative sense? Maybe you were overlooked, treated unfairly, emotionally discarded, or even pushed aside in a painful way – at work, in family, in a relationship. You trusted, and that trust was broken. You gave, and it was taken – without gratitude, without value.
In such moments, deep cracks can form in our sense of self. We begin to believe what others reflect back to us: “I’m not important. I’m replaceable. I’m a mistake.” But God’s view is entirely different. To Him, you are not a product, not a problem, not a number – you are part of His story. And sometimes He leads you, like Joseph, through painful experiences – not to break you, but to prepare you for something greater.
Egypt was not an accident. It was the place where God would shape, position, and later use Joseph. The path there was painful – but purposeful. So if you are currently in a season where you feel “set aside” or “discarded,” hold on to this truth: Your story isn’t over. It may just be beginning.
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Story – When the Heart is Betrayed
Nina was 24 when she first felt that she had finally arrived. She had landed her dream job in a social organization, was newly engaged, and felt: “Now life is really beginning.” Her relationship with her fiancé, Daniel, was deep, open, and full of future plans – or so she believed. But two years into the engagement, shortly before the wedding, came the message: “I can’t do this. I think I love someone else.” No explanation. No conversation. Just withdrawal.
Nina’s world fell apart. Her friends didn’t know how to respond. Some said things like, “Maybe it’s for the best.” Others tried to comfort her, but nothing got through. A hole opened up inside her. She didn’t just feel rejected – she felt worthless. She began asking herself questions like: “What was wrong with me?” or “Am I even lovable?”
She withdrew for months. Her work became mechanical. Her prayers fell silent. She stopped going to church. God suddenly felt far away – almost like a spectator who hadn’t stepped in.
One day, she happened to sit in a small group at a women’s retreat. The leader, whom she barely knew, spoke a Bible verse aloud: “You are mine. I have redeemed you. Do not fear.” (Isaiah 43:1) And then she said to the group – unaware of Nina’s situation: “Sometimes you’re not being abandoned because you’re worthless, but because God is separating you from something that would have held you back.”
Those words hit her right in the heart. In the days that followed, a slow process began. She wrote a letter – not to Daniel, but to herself. In it, she wrote: “You weren’t sold. You were protected.” For the first time in months, she cried. Not just because of the loss – but because she realized: God had never left her in her deepest disappointment. He was quiet – but present.
Today, many years later, Nina is happily married – not to Daniel, but to someone who truly sees her worth. She is no longer defined by being “seen.” She is a woman who knows: “My worth is not negotiable. And God never gave up on me – even when I doubted it myself.”
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What We Can Learn from This
People can question your value – but God never does. He sees deeper. He knows not just your dreams but also your wounds. And it’s often exactly where others let you go that God holds you tight. He may even use the rejection you’ve experienced to lead you to the place where you’re truly needed. Not everything that hurts is against you. Some things are part of a divine journey you’ll only understand in hindsight.
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Reflection – What Does This Mean for You?
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When was the last time you felt unnecessary or unwanted?
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Are there people whose rejection you still haven’t released?
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Can you believe that God sees you – even when others ignore you?
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Practical Steps for Today
Read Genesis 50:20 (“You meant it for evil…”) and pray it from your perspective today. Write a letter to your “past self” during a hard season – and read it through God’s eyes. Remind yourself: Rejection often says more about the other person than about you. Ask God directly: “What do you want to grow in me through this situation?”
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Prayer
Father in heaven,
sometimes it hurts deeply when people reject or mistreat me.
I want to understand – but I get no answers.
I want to believe – but I don’t always feel you.
But today I choose to trust you.
Not because everything is clear, but because you are faithful.
Thank you that my worth is not defined by others.
Thank you that you know me, hold me, and are weaving me into your plan –
even when I don’t yet understand how.
Please help me let go of what weighs me down
and hold on to what you say about me.
Amen.
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Key Thought of the Day
You are not what others say about you.
You are who God has decided you are.
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Blessing to Close
May the Lord bless you when others reject you –
and remind you that you are wanted in His eyes.
May He hold you when you feel like you’re slipping –
and carry you safely through.
May He strengthen your heart when voices try to diminish you –
and whisper to you: “You are mine.”
And may the Lord lead you to people and places
who recognize your worth –
not because of what you do,
but because of who you are.
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