“Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. 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.”
“I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.
Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.”
Joseph was one amazing individual. Abandoned by his brothers; abandoned by his benefactor; abandoned by the ones he helped, Joseph still never gave up on himself or allowed himself to feel abandoned by God. The fact is, there is no real indication that Joseph even felt sorry for himself. Instead, he kept to the way of godliness and allowed God the chance to prove Himself. Incredible!
What was Joseph’s secret? How did he maintain an image of God that sustained him in the face of all he encountered? Scripture does not paint Joseph as a great man of prayer. He does not routinely spout forth Scripture. He sometimes even gave in to a desire for revenge. Yet still, this is a man who presumed to speak for God, and did so correctly, under circumstances where I probably would not have given God any positive thought at all. How did he keep in touch? We all should look closer. Joseph’s message is quite simple: if you want to find God, serve others - especially in adversity; particularly when hidden or separated from the familiar and comfortable.
What would happen if I was dedicated to looking for opportunities to exhaust self by serving others in shared adversity, as Joseph did? Could emptying myself, making me more vulnerable instead of less, actually open the door of my soul wider to the redemptive power of the Holy Spirit? One could certainly make a good argument that God’s strength kicked in only when Joseph’s ran out. And that Joseph was protected by God, even in situations where Joseph felt lost and hidden from God’s view. Joseph’s experience, like Jesus’, proves God is the Great Redeemer, not only of people, but of situations. He can make all things work to good, even things which aren’t good in themselves. We need to not give up on Him, because He never gives up on us or our situations.
We all know what it is to feel hidden in the shadows. What we miss is that those shadows are often cast by the wings of the very One whose protection and help we seek. We miss that we may be hidden for our own good. We miss that God may want us to work as one of His “secret agents” to bring comfort and His Word to those who need it most. We bristle when He asks us to be patient and stay the course. But we celebrate and rejoice when we see Him working through us to help others. That is the perspective I want to hold onto. That is the lifestyle to which we all are called, one way or another.
2 comments:
Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Caresse! I appreciate the encouragement! Come back anytime.
Tom
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