Renee
Swope
"But while Joseph was there in prison, the LORD
was
with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the
prison
warden." Genesis 39: 20b-21 (NIV)
Do you ever feel like your days are filled with one
messy
relationship and situation after another? During those times, it's easy to
label
my circumstances and myself as "a mess," then wonder how God could ever use
me,
or my experiences, for good.
To protect my heart from discouragement, I often ask
God
to remind me of times when He has worked in ways I couldn't have imagined,
in my
life and the lives of others. Recently He reminded me of Joseph's story
(Genesis
37-50). It reads like a series of very unfortunate
events!
Imagine being beaten and thrown into a pit, sold as a
slave and then relocated to a foreign country where you are falsely accused
of a
crime you didn't commit and banished to die in prison. And to make matters
worse, what if your siblings had initiated this evil against
you?
That's only the beginning of what happened to
Joseph.
Looking behind the scenes of stories like his helps me
see
how God specializes in using messes to transform people into masterpieces of
His
grace. That's exactly what He did here:
"[Joseph's brothers] saw him
from
afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him
...
they stripped him of his robe ... and they threw him into a pit"
(Genesis
37:18, 23b–24, ESV).
Joseph was then taken to Egypt where he was sold as a
slave to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Could things get worse? They did
when
Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him, and despite Joseph resisting her
advances,
she accused him of attempting to rape her:
" ... she called to the men of her household and said to them,
'See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to
lie
with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that I
lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and
got
out of the house.'"
"As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke
to
him ... his anger was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him into
the
prison ..." (Genesis 39:14-15, 19-20a).
In Potiphar's house, Joseph learned servant leadership
and
integrity; in prison, Joseph learned forgiveness, wisdom and patience. He
had
been wronged multiple times, yet he experienced God's guidance through the
darkness that helped Joseph get out of prison:
"And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all
the
prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one
who
did it. ... And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed"
(Genesis 39:22-23, ESV).
In a messy pit, the house of Potiphar and a cold dark
prison, God prepared Joseph for the amazing future and role he would play in
rescuing God's people and eventually bringing his family back
together.
Through it all, Joseph stayed close to God and allowed
his
difficult circumstances to make him more dependent on the Lord. And in turn,
God
molded Joseph's character into a great and godly leader — who was humble,
loving, forgiving, patient and wise.
Friend, you might feel like you're in a pit right now
just
like Joseph was, but don't despise the mess you're in — God is doing some
behind-the-scenes work. He is preparing to unleash His limitless power in
and
through you!
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that You are always with
me,
just like You were with Joseph. When I face hard circumstances, I want to
lean
in and depend on You for wisdom, patience and grace. In all these things, I
will
remember that I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. In Jesus'
Name, Amen.
Have a Blessed Monday,
Richard
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