Today's Story is about a shepherd in the pit, the prison AND the Palace - Joseph
Yesterday we learned about Joseph and how after a long time of struggles, he was appointed as governor over the land of Egypt. Joseph became the overseer of a plan to keep Egypt from starving during a severe famine that would last seven years. This was many years after his brothers sold him into slavery. His brothers were affected by this severe drought, so they went to Egypt to get food. They had no idea where the slave traders had taken Joseph. After so many years, they wouldn't even recognize Joseph... but he would recognize them.
6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. –Genesis 42:6-9
It shocked Joseph to see his brothers after so many years. He pretended to not know who they were. He questioned them harshly so they wouldn’t know who he was. When his brothers mentioned their youngest brother, Benjamin, Joseph came up with a plan to get all of his brothers together at the same time. He kept his identity a secret and and concocted a plan to get them all together. When they brought Benjamin to Egypt, Joseph tested his brothers to see if they would allow their brother to be taken like he was. When they passed his test, Joseph couldn’t pretend anymore:
3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ 12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. –Genesis 45:3-15
God knows everything. God was going to send a famine to the land of Egypt and he wanted to preserve Jacob’s family, so he set about a chain of events that would ultimately save their family. If Joseph hadn’t been there to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, nobody would have known about the famine that was coming, they wouldn’t have stored up food, and Jacob’s entire family would have starved to death! Going back farther, if Joseph’s brothers hadn’t sold him into slavery he wouldn’t have worked in Potiphar’s house, and if Potiphar’s wife hadn’t lied, and he hadn’t been put in prison, he wouldn’t have interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, and if he hadn’t done that, then Pharaoh would never have known who Joseph was. Wow. If any one of those events hadn’t taken place, Jacob’s entire family would have starved. God set the events in motion to preserve the linage of Jacob. He used Joseph in a mighty way. In a way that Joseph could never have predicted.
Joseph had to go through a lot. Although he encountered some pretty harsh circumstances, since it is where God wanted him, God made Joseph prosper through those circumstances. God knows things that we don’t know. Sometimes we go through hard things that we don’t understand, but if we trust God’s plan, he can use our circumstances for things that we can’t even imagine! Through Joseph’s circumstances, thousands were saved during the famine. We just don’t know how our circumstances could positively affect others.
Sometimes God puts things in our lives, or takes them away, to fulfill a purpose that we can’t understand. If we praise him in those circumstances, we may find it easier to accept God's plan, even if it's uncomfortable. Do you think Joseph could have ever predicted that one day he would wind up saving his own family when he was sold to a caravan of slave traders!? NO! That’s something nobody could have ever predicted. But God is a mighty God, and he always has a plan in motion.
Today, think about what’s currently happening in your life. Do you think that God is using you in some way? Are you confused or upset by your circumstances? Focus on the positives in your life and trust in God’s divine plan. Continue to have faith in that plan. Think about how your circumstances are affecting your heart and those around you. God’s got big plans for you! You may just not know it yet!
“Dear Lord, thank you for your divine plan. It’s too big and too complicated for me to wrap my head around. Please use my circumstances for your glory. Help me to grow from the situations that I am currently facing, and help my circumstances touch others. Use me and use my story to serve you in a mighty way. Forgive me for doubting your plan sometimes. Sometimes it’s hard for me to have faith. Strengthen my faith and strengthen my heart through this season of my life. Help me to always turn to you when I feel overwhelmed. Thank you for always having me in the palm of your hand and always pulling me through every situation I encounter. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!”
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