My brother and I used to have access to a mechanic’s pit for servicing vehicles when I was young. We loved to climb down into that mysterious, dark, oil-stained concrete cavern. Being small, it was much larger than it would probably look today. One thing I noticed about our deep dives into the dark pit: Every time we were in it, we were always looking up.

Joseph was thrown into a dry cistern by his brothers (Genesis 37). His brothers were tired of him making such a splash with his bold dreams and bright-colored coat. One thing we see throughout Joseph's journey, in all of his moments of heartbreak, Joseph continued to look up. In the deep pit it would have been easy for Joseph to have been consumed by despair, yet Joseph kept his composure because He knew where to look for help: Up.

God was working in Joseph's life in wonderful ways. There were Messianic hints everywhere to be found! The Hebrew term for Joseph's coat of many colors was "ketonet passim" which literally translates to "a coat of stripes." Isaiah 53:3-5 prophesies about Jesus, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

In 2025 we will experience ups and downs. Planet earth is a pit of brokenness in need of a remodel from its Creator Jesus Christ! Jesus knew what it was like to be in our place, in our pit. He was despised and rejected yet by His stripes we are healed. Every time we face a pit, hopefully we know where to naturally look. Look up! Jesus understands. Jesus is there for us. Jesus is coming soon to make everything new. Jesus is always there when we’re down and He’s always willing to lift us up.

- Pastor Michael