January 18: Genesis 39-41

January 18: Genesis 39-41

 

Happy Wednesday!  I hope everyone has had a good day so far!  I have been excited to read and discuss Joseph with you.  He has been one of my favorites for most of my life.  I grew up watching the movie Joseph (staring Ben Kingsley,) and he (Joseph..not Ben Kingsley :)was always a person my family talked about.  So this is comfort for me.  As I have said in the past, these are some thick and meaty chapters!  We could spend so much time discussing the themes and realities that Joseph faced: separation from his family, being a servant, temptation and adultery, dreams, and injustice. 

            I wanted to focus on a couple points that I am always reminded about when I read about Joseph: the character of God.  Joseph's story is a story of faith: what it is, how it's lived, and how it's blessed.  But GOD is still the main character here!  There isn't direct dialogue or a direct voice from God as we saw with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but we see the intimate faith and relationship Joseph had with Him.  In a foreign land, after all he went through with his brothers, Joseph clings to his faith in God, and "THE LORD WAS WITH HIM."  We see these words in various forms many times in these chapters.  What a beautiful picture of God.  He does not forsake us or leave us.  He is faithful.  Joseph prospered and was blessed.  The Egyptians saw "that the LORD was with him."  Can people see God in me?  Even when I'm having a bad day?  When nothing is going right?  My heart is hurt or broken?  Can others see that the Lord is with me?  Huh.

            I shake my head again, as I know I do, when reading about Joseph.   Nothing ever went right.  Brothers hated him.  He became a slave.  He did the right thing and RAN from temptation…sin…adultery.  Put into prison because of it.  The guy just could not catch a break!  But let's look at God again…and His great picture, because this is what I take away form Joseph.  God is good.  He is sovereign.  He allows everything for a reason and a purpose.  He really does know what He's doing.  God allowed everything that happened to Joseph for a reason.  He put situations in his life so that was he would grow, learn, and develop.  He had dreams at a young age, and in prison, God used that for His glory.  We will always have Joseph moments, and have had these moments.  Things happen in our lives that are hurtful, difficult, sad, that cause us great grief.  There are times when we wish to escape, but don't forget my friend that GOD IS THERE!  He's preparing you for something ahead.  He will use you, and shape you, but you must be willing to be shaped.  You might be in a Joseph moment now.  Have hope in God that it will get better.  He might be preparing to use you in a might way, for His glory and to be a part of something bigger then what we can see in this moment.  God used a Hebrew slave to save a nation.