It was a relaxing day, Father. Sometimes we need them to recharge our batteries. I didn’t sleep as much as I could have but old age can work against me sometimes, but such is life. May our time together bring something that will impact who needs to hear it.
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Recently I came across some writings that referenced a sermon that I had preached regarding Joseph’s life (the son of Jacob, i.e. Israel) in the book of Genesis. A big point in that sermon is that we cannot see what lies ahead of us in our lives. We are to trust in Your guiding hand on our shoulders, Lord, but no matter how great our desire may be, we cannot see what our future holds.
One thing for sure was that Joseph had his heart set on his heavenly Father. His earthly father, Jacob, loved him more than his many brothers and doted on him. Joseph’s own dreams seemed to point to a day when they all would bow before him. His brothers so greatly despised him that they barely refrained from killing when the opportunity arose, and only then because Reuben the eldest intervened on his behalf as they saw Joseph coming towards them. They didn’t outright kill him, but they did end up selling him into slavery, which could just have easily led to his death.
In spite of the circumstances in which he found himself, God blessed him, and he rose to prominence in his master’s home. Because of a false accusation, he was thrown into prison – but once again, God blessed him. Joseph rose to prominence under the leadership of the prison warden. He thought he found a way out when he helped one of Pharaoh’s servants understand that he would find favor in Pharaoh’s eyes once more but was forgotten and left to rot in jail.
Time and again he worked his way to the top only to be pushed back to the bottom. It would have been easy to become bitter or to have simply given up…but he didn’t. He clung to You, Lord. His destiny was in Your hands. He remained faithful to You, and You brought him through and used him to literally save the lives of thousands of people from the surety of starvation.
Could Joseph see where his life was headed? No, he just continued to trust You, Lord. He was greatly rewarded for his faithfulness. He was given power and wealth. He was reunited with his family – holding no animosity toward his brothers – for he saw God’s saving hand through it all. But…he didn’t know any of it was coming to him.
Watching his life unfold, it is obvious that his faith in God was unwavering. Through all the ups and downs, he held on to Him. If he had ended his days serving the warden in the jail, with none of his hopes and dreams fulfilled, I believe he would have remained faithful to God.
Lord, we really have no idea what our future holds but, without a doubt, we can trust You to bring us through and with our faith placed in You we can be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. May I find peace in You. May I be used by You. Amen.
(If you’d like to read the entirety of Joseph’s story, it is found in the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapters 37–50.)
(Jan 23rd, 2017, Mon, 6:41 am)
Jan 25th, 2023, Wed, 7:57 pm
