Trust God!
BRD REFLECTION 2026
Genesis 37:19–36 and Psalm 103:13–22 (NIV)
(Nadia Kam from Worship and Music Ministry)
READ:
Genesis 37:19–36 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
This passage tells how Joseph’s brothers plotted to get rid of him. They had planned to kill Joseph (vv 18–20), but Reuben convinced them not to take his life. He suggested throwing Joseph into an empty pit instead, and secretly planned to rescue him (vv 21–22). Judah then suggested selling Joseph into slavery, and the brothers settled on this (vv 26–28). Reuben was unaware of this and was grieved when he found out (v 29). The brothers then deceived their father, Jacob (vv 31–33). Jacob believed that a ferocious animal had devoured Joseph, and mourned deeply for many days, refusing to be comforted (vv 34–35).
APPLY:
This passage reminded me to trust God when I am confronted by things in life that could drive me into complete despair. After reading this passage, I cannot imagine the grief Jacob must have felt when he received news that his most beloved son had died. Jacob’s reality, at the end of verse 35, was all he could comprehend at that point in time. He must have felt as though his world had collapsed; and he even said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” All he could see before him was the devastating situation, and in that moment, his grief was real and valid. However, the Bible later tells of God’s sovereign hand in Joseph’s journey and how he was finally reunited with his brothers and Jacob.
Like Jacob, I have faced moments when all I see is grief and I cannot comprehend how things could get better. Yet, it is in such moments that I can still choose to trust in God’s faithfulness and sovereignty.
DO:
To trust God even when the situation seems completely bleak and terrible. Yes, I can grieve the initial pain of the situation, but I will trust God and cling to Proverbs 3:5–6, to “trust in the Lord with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding; in all [my] ways submit to Him, and He will make [my] paths straight.”
PRAY:
Dear Lord, give me a greater understanding of who You are – Your love for me, Your faithfulness, and Your sovereignty – so that in times of trouble my heart will trust in You. Help me not lean on my own understanding, but in all my ways, submit to You, knowing that You will make my path straight and work all things out for good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
