The primary focus of today’s reading is Joseph’s brothers coming to Egypt due to the famine. We see his dreams fulfilled. Joseph puts his brothers to the test to see if they have sincerely changed. It has become clear to us how God has worked all of Joseph’s trials and tribulations together for His good. What I want to focus on today is the very first sentence of today’s reading, “Two years later….” Sometimes, it is hard to embrace the principles that we learn from God’s Word. This is an example. We delight in the fact that Josephs hardships were not in vain. It brings us joy to see that his brothers bow down to him. But we must not miss one very important lesson: Joseph had to remain faithful in every circumstance. He had been betrayed by his brothers, falsely accused of rape, thrown into prison and then forgotten; not just for a few days, but two years. For two more years this young man sat in jail for a crime he did not commit, forgotten by a man whose dream he had correctly interpreted. So for two years he sat, he waited, he trusted. Then the day finally arrives when God reveals His plan and everything makes sense. What we cannot do is misapply the lesson. Don’t look at the magnitude of God’s plan for Joseph. Often times, us as Christians set our eyes on how grand our purpose will be. That is not the point of today’s truth. The principle is not about what God will do. Joseph remained faithful even when his circumstances looked utterly hopeless. Yet, he did not lose faith. He did not abandon God. He remained confident that God was greater than any circumstance. God had made him a promise and he trusted that God would be faithful to carry out that promise, even if he could not understand how it would happen. In fact, it is not recorded that Joseph asked God to get him out of the situation. Maybe he did, but it isn’t recorded which tells us that even though he may have had times where he felt that way, it was his faith that prevailed. We cannot read this story and think that if we just remain faithful God will bless us with some huge task. The point is that even when everything feels hopeless, God has not abandoned us. His timing may not make any sense and we may even feel as though He is the one who has forgotten us. Yet, hold on to the hope that the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob and of Joseph, your Almighty God, is faithful to you. Absolutely, God will accomplish more than we can imagine in our lives. However, our desire is to be for Him, not the greatness plan. In His eyes, having faith in the trials is much greater then faith in the blessings. I’m not so sure God would have used Joseph if he had not been faithful while he was setting in jail. I love that God shows us today that through Him, nothing is wasted. Every tragedy Joseph encountered, God redeemed. Only God can accomplish that. Only God can take what is bad and bring good. Only God can take the ashes and bring beauty. Only God can bring salvation to others through the tragedies of our life. God was able to rescue the promised line, the family that would become the twelve tribes of Israel, from death all because of the heartbreak Joseph endured time and time again. Rather than live in pain and pity, allow God to bring purpose. Our God is always greater.
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