"Man is born for trouble" (Job 5:7). There is no way to avoid or escape this common condition of mankind. As we continue to look at Joseph's life, we get a glimpse of the anchor that held him steady while, one after another, the waves of affliction rolled over him.

When Joseph was a teenager, he was given two dreams about the Lord's future plans for his life. They revealed that he would one day be in a place of authority and honor, and his family would bow down to him. Scripture had not yet been written in those days, and the Lord would sometimes speak to men in their dreams.

Previously, God had spoken to Jacob in a dream and given him a promise (Gen. 28:10-16). And now his son was hearing from the Lord in the same way. Joseph followed his father's example of faith and believed the message.

The Lord knew that Joseph was going to need a promise to get him through the difficulty that would soon follow. God's Word to him was his anchor. During all the trials, Joseph kept on believing that the Lord would fulfill His promise. He focused on the faithfulness of the God, not on his circumstances.

When the Lord speaks to our hearts through Scripture, we can hold onto what He says as an anchor for our souls. He will keep His promises to us, just as He did for Joseph. When we focus on God and His Word, our fears will dwindle, our sense of need will diminish, and our doubts will be cleared away.