Our Coat. His Purpose

By Tracy Henderson

I remember growing up sitting in Sunday School class.The teacher told the story of Joseph and gave us a coloring page of a coat. The coat was divided into three seperate spaces. I meticulously colored each space a different color. As I grew older I realize we all have in our lives that special coat. For some it is the coat of depression. For other it is the coat of addiction. Whatever coat we have, God wants to change our coat from an ordinary run of the mill coat to a coat  for his purpose. Are you ready to change your coat?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tracy Henderson
• Release date: Aug 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223191872

Tracy Henderson

Writing has been a passion of mine since I was in school. I was top writer in my Creative Writing class in 8th grade. I write from the heart and not the head. When you read my material, you are not only reading a book, but are looking in the window of my soul.

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INTRODUCTION 

I remember as a kid growing up sitting in Sunday School class. I was around seven years old at the time. My Sunday School teacher taught us the story of Joseph. She read how his father gave him a coat of many colors. After the lesson she handed us a coloring page. This coloring page was a picture of a coat with lines drawn for the assorted colors.  

I remember taking a red crayon (red was and still is my favorite color) and carefully coloring the first blank spot. Next was the yellow for the next blank spot. By the time I was done, my coat was brightly colored with assorted colors.  

I shared that story to inform you that we wear many different coats in life. For every situation we face we have a different coat. What is the definition of a coat? Webster lists three different definitions of a coat. One definition is: An outer garment worn outdoors, having sleeves and typically extends below the hips. Just like the coat Jacob, or Israel gave to Joseph.  

The second definition says: An animal’s covering or fur.

The third definition says: An outer layer or covering of a specified kind. Did you catch that last definition? Our house, or our body looks good on the outside, but inside we have a layer or a coat that we are wearing to cover up what is really taking place in us. Whether it be depression, broken dreams, or whatever, we are masking our identity with the coat that we wear.

The Bible gives the definition of a coat as: The tunic worn like the shirt next to the skin.

What did the coat of many colors symbolize in Joseph’s life? It symbolized favor. It was not a work garment like his brothers would wear, rather an elaborate work of art that was made to stand out. It spoke of nobility, not demanding work. It set him apart from his brothers in ways they could not appreciate. (crosswalk.com). While Joseph’s coat showed favor, Satan, through circumstances in life, causes us to use our coat as a mask or cover-up to negate or diminish the favor that God placed upon our lives. 

We are going to look at the various coats we wear in life. It is my hope and prayer that when you the reader are done reading this book, you will see that God has a purpose for our life. He does not want us to wear some of the coats that we have on right now. He wants to take that coat of depression and turn it into a purpose for joy. Are you ready to go on a journey to not only shed the coat, but to change the course of your destiny? Then take a trip with me as we investigate the coat Joseph had on, that we have on and see what purpose God has in mind for us to shed the different coats we wear. 

OUR COAT

COAT OF DESPAIR

Webster defines despair as: the feeling or state of losing all hope or having no hope. It can be caused by something that has happened or hasn’t happened. Despair can lead to desperation or depression. Despair comes from the Latin words meaning to be without hope. (Webster).

A big desire of the enemy is to get you, the born again believer, the one that went from hopeless to hopeful when you accepted Jesus as your saviour, to put on the coat of despair. He knows if he can get you feeling you have no hope then you may walk away from God. Have you been there? Despair is tormenting and can be crippling.

In 1988 while in my very early twenties, my ex- wife and I had to bury our first baby. He was still born. I remember the joy we felt when we found out she was pregnant. Joy turned to grief on July 13, 1988. I remember holding that baby in my arms for the first and only time as the doctor took his footprint and handprint for the death certificate. As brave as I tried to be, I was crushed.

I was in church all of my life and I always thought God was a loving God. Pastor Utley did not prepare me for the death of my son. I became very bitter that day.

The next day we had the funeral. The pain was unbearable as I stood there looking at the ground, not even hearing what was being said. A couple weeks went by and my car broke down. (God knows how to work).My father-in-law picked me up from work. It had rained all day until the moment I got off work. On our drive home, my attention was drawn to the sky. The sky was so blue and peaceful. I can still picture it. The clouds were white and fluffy looking. The clouds were somehow different from what I have ever saw them. They looked like a city in the sky. I took that as a comfort to me. I carried this pain around inside me up until 2019. While in consecration and prayer, I spent three hours sobbing letting my baby finally go. Despair was one of the coats I was wearing.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you despair is not real because it is. People commit suicide because they are in a state of despair.

As I was praying this morning my mind went to Elijah. Elijah knew what despair felt like. Elijah was a mighty prophet. This man Elijah called fire down from Heaven. When confronting Ahab, he prayed that it would not rain until he said so, and it happened. His God answered by fire while all of the prophets of Baal looked foolish on the mount. Through all of this, when Jezebel threatened to kill him despair got a hold on him. Elijah went and hid himself in a cave. Just because you do mighty things for