Awake, north wind,And come, wind of the south;Make my garden breathe out fragrance,May its balsam oils flow.May my beloved come into his gardenAnd eat its delicious fruits! Song of Songs 4:16

The north wind is the wind of adversity and the south wind is the wind of comfort. For a garden to be fragrant and to bear fruit, both these winds are necessary. In Joseph’s life, the days of his childhood when he enjoyed the fullness of his father’s love are the south wind days of his life; joy filled days!! 

However, the days of his brothers’ jealousy, the dry well, the day he was sold as a slave and the days thereafter, they were all days when the north wind experiences marked his life.

Life at Potiphar’s house was very pleasant – dignified job, comfortable living conditions … the coolness of the south wind comforted Joseph’s heart!

Again, the north wind blew, this time very severely. As a result, he spent long years imprisoned in a dungeon. The butler who promised to help him forgot his word! 

In the days that followed, he interpreted the dream of the king, was released from the prison, became the Prime minister of Egypt --- because the hand of the compassionate God moved in his favour! Continuously the south wind blew over his life ….

One would make wonder what the outcome of it all was – the blowing of the north wind and the south wind one after the other at their appointed times!

The answer is – God used Joseph for the sustenance of the nation of Israel! The Lord gave Joseph grace and favour and wisdom in the eyes of the Pharoah – he stood before the Pharoah as a good vine bearing good fruit – and many other goodness. 

In Genesis 49: 22 we read that ‘Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.’ See how, through the bitter and sweet experiences in his life, Joseph turned out to be a blessed person in the Bible!!

So, pick up a pen and a sheet of paper and write down the experiences in your life when the north wind or the south wind blew! And then you will tell the Lord, ‘Lord, thank You! Thank You, Lord, for all those experiences – through them You gave us the honour of beholding Your face!! Hallelujah!!