“Betting on God in Sin City” Mar 8, 2010

As I pen this, my second blog entry, I sit in a hotel room in “Sin City”. Yes, Las Vegas, the city where you can “do anything that you want and no one has to know." Where the night life is fast and the lights are bright. To be honest; I was a bit naïve concerning the things that I have seen while just walking in public or the conversations that I have overheard.

At the airport in Phoenix, I caught wind of a man talking about his gambling experience. He described how he was headed to a “VIP - Invite only” Poker Tournament. If he did well this tournament would get him a seat in the World Series Poker Tournament. He shared about his last time in Vegas. How he was doing well at his last tournament and then he got one “bad hand” after another which eventually led to him not making it to the next round. He then made this statement, “Poker is all about the hand that you are dealt and knowing what to do with it.” The same could be said for life. We all know that there are valley experiences in life, aka bad hands. Knowing how to play those hands can determine how well we finish.

One individual in the Bible who was dealt a bad hand was Joseph.

Joseph’s childhood was far from ideal. His mother died while he was young. He was despised by his brothers because he was his father’s favorite. His brother threw him in a pit, betrayed him and sold him into slavery. He was double-crossed in Potipher’s house and accused of sexual assault despite honoring Potipher and being a man of integrity. He was then falsely imprisoned and then forsaken by those he helped. If anyone had a reason to be bitter, resentful and angry it was Joseph. Instead what do we find? When the time came for his brothers to come bow before him begging for mercy Joseph says; "Do not be afraid, for I am in God's place? "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. "So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them Genesis 50:19-21.

Through the midst of difficult times and many bad hands, Joseph entrusted himself to God. I wonder how we would play our hands if we just entrust ourselves to God and bet on him.

How does your faith in God affect how you see your life when circumstances are not ideal?