Genesis 41
Thirteen years after going into captivity and two years after the cupbearer had promised to remember him, Joseph finally is freed. He is not only freed; he is elevated to the second most powerful position in Egypt. In some ways, he was more powerful than Pharaoh himself because he bore Pharaoh's signet ring and no one was authorized to do anything without his consent.
I'm struck by how, after thirteen years of prayers that seemed to have gone unanswered, Joseph still had the faith to say, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
God answers my prayers every single day, but way too often I'm more prone to accept praise than to point others toward the One who is worthy of all praise. I'm more prone to complain about how many things in my cushy, first-world, privileged life are not going the way I think they should than to praise God for blessings that are far too numerous to county.
I'm more prone to speak badly of those who disagree with or frustrate me than to pray for them. What this chapter tells me about God is that He is able to save to the utmost, to give us victory beyond anything we have imagined. What it tells me about myself is that I expect too little in spiritual terms and have too little faith in practical terms.
This week I will call to mind Joseph's faith when I feel stuck in a bad place and trust that in God's time, He will bring me out of that place, and I will give Him praise for all that He is doing along the way.
Thirteen years after going into captivity and two years after the cupbearer had promised to remember him, Joseph finally is freed. He is not only freed; he is elevated to the second most powerful position in Egypt. In some ways, he was more powerful than Pharaoh himself because he bore Pharaoh's signet ring and no one was authorized to do anything without his consent.
I'm struck by how, after thirteen years of prayers that seemed to have gone unanswered, Joseph still had the faith to say, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
God answers my prayers every single day, but way too often I'm more prone to accept praise than to point others toward the One who is worthy of all praise. I'm more prone to complain about how many things in my cushy, first-world, privileged life are not going the way I think they should than to praise God for blessings that are far too numerous to county.
I'm more prone to speak badly of those who disagree with or frustrate me than to pray for them. What this chapter tells me about God is that He is able to save to the utmost, to give us victory beyond anything we have imagined. What it tells me about myself is that I expect too little in spiritual terms and have too little faith in practical terms.
This week I will call to mind Joseph's faith when I feel stuck in a bad place and trust that in God's time, He will bring me out of that place, and I will give Him praise for all that He is doing along the way.
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