If you either didn’t know the story of Joseph or haven’t heard it in a very long time, the back-and-forth that happened to him is mind-boggling. Today is certainly no different. I want, as you hear Joseph’s story, to overlay your own circumstances to know that God desires to create the same type of outcome for you.
Genesis 39:21-23 NLT
But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.
Are you starting to see the pattern? When Joseph is put in a bad situation, he responds by working hard and having the best attitude he can. That has to be true or these people in authority wouldn’t have done the things they did for Joseph. His life must have expressed something very different than other servants or prisoners. His life reflected, not his own, but that of the God who gave purpose to Joseph’s life.
Genesis 39:21-23 MESSAGE
But there in jail God was still with Joseph: He reached out in kindness to him; he put him on good terms with the head jailer. The head jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners—he ended up managing the whole operation. The head jailer gave Joseph free rein, never even checked on him, because God was with him; whatever he did God made sure it worked out for the best.
It is so crucial and important for us to not miss the many times Joseph had the opportunity to get bitter, to be vengeful, to hate, to curse, and to decide God had forgotten all about him. But he didn’t. He knew that son or servant, palace or prison, God was with him, showing him the way through, not the way out. Apply these truths to your own life today because they are certainly very real and available to you right now.
Let’s pray: “Father, I know what it feels like to be forgotten by people and start to believe that nothing good is going to happen. But with You, that is simply not true. You never forget. You always see me. You are always with me. Help me to accept and know that truth today and every day. As above, so below.”