January 15 | When the Path Looks Nothing Like the Dream

Today’s Bible in a Year reading from Genesis 36–38 and Matthew 10:21–42 centers on a sobering but steady truth: God’s purposes continue unfolding even when the path forward looks fractured, costly, and far from ideal. Across both passages, we see that faithfulness often develops not in moments of clarity or celebration, but in seasons marked by complexity, endurance, and difficult obedience.Genesis 36 traces family lines and outcomes that feel distant from promise, while Genesis 37 draws us into Joseph’s early dreams and the sudden collapse of everything he expected. What follows in Genesis 38 only deepens the tension, as the story moves through moral failure, broken relationships, and unexpected preservation. Together, these chapters remind us that God’s redemptive work does not move in straight lines. Even when dreams are delayed, distorted, or buried beneath human choices, God remains actively at work behind the scenes.Matthew 10:21–42 carries that same realism into the words of Jesus. He prepares His followers for rejection, division, and suffering, making it clear that allegiance to Him will come at a cost. Faithfulness will require endurance, courage, and trust, even when obedience leads to loss rather than immediate reward. Yet Jesus also promises that none of this suffering is unseen, and that God’s care extends to every detail of their lives.Together, these passages invite us to reflect on what it means to remain faithful when life does not unfold as planned. God’s dreams are not abandoned, even when the road is painful. Today’s reading asks us to consider where God may be calling us to endure, to trust His oversight, and to continue walking forward, even when the outcome is still hidden.