|
Inspirational Corner |
Shari McRae |
"But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him His faithful love". Genesis 39:21, NLT
Genesis 39 recounts the familiar story of Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt and working in Potiphar's household. Despite his status as a slave, Joseph experiences the blessing of God and quickly gains his master's trust. But when Joseph is falsely accused of assaulting Potiphar's wife, in a moment's time he goes from being a respected manager of a large estate to being a prisoner.
As Joseph finds himself in this new, difficult, and unwanted circumstance, we learn immediately what enables him to cope. According to verse 21, two things helped Joseph in the midst of testing and despair: God was with him, and God showed him His faithful love. God's presence makes all the difference! He is Light in the darkness, no matter how dark. The word "showed" implies that God's love was expressed to Joseph in tangible ways. His love is described as "faithful", meaning that this kind of love never changes, never weakens, never disappears.
Later in the story, Genesis 41 records how Pharaoh's mind was very disturbed by his dreams. He is told about the remarkable young man in the prison who might be able to help him. When Joseph is sent for, he assures Pharaoh that only God can "set you at ease". God gives Joseph the interpretation to these dreams and as a result, Pharaoh recognizes that Joseph is a different kind of man, one who is "obviously filled with the spirit of God" (41:38). He gives Joseph a new name, one that means "God speaks and lives!" (41:45, footnote). Joseph's very life and actions convinced others that God is real and that He involves Himself in our concerns.
God is continually surrounding us with tangible signs of His faithful love, just as He did for Joseph...if we will only open our eyes to see it. His faithful love is the same today as it was all those centuries ago, and that faithful love will be with us in every circumstance. Living in the continual awareness and reality of God's faithful love will in turn impact those around us.
Just as God gave Joseph a word for Pharaoh, I often need God to give me a word to "set me at ease". I want to be someone who is "so obviously filled with the spirit of God" that my life impacts those around me with a sense of His presence and His faithful love, and not with a sense of my hurried anxiety. Fill in your name and particular situation in the blanks of Genesis 39:21, and remind yourself of it often: "But the Lord was with ________ in __________ and showed her His faithful love".
ARCHIVES:
Follow the Fire! (Numbers 9:15-23)
Baskets of God's Leftovers (Mark 6:30-44)
Lydia - A Leader Who Was "Good to Go" (Acts 16:13-15)
The Radiance of His Glory (Exodus 34: 29-35)
Obeying God's Call (Exodus 34-36)
Elisha - An Example of a Spirit-Led Life (I Kings 19:21, II Kings 2:2-6)
The Security of Hope (Hebrews 6:18-19)
Through the Looking Glass (Exodus 38:8)
Upheld (Isaiah 41:10)
The Fragrant Influence of Christ (II Corinthians 2:14-16)
God's Protective Covering
Called, Loved and Kept (Jude 1)
Living Above (Colossians 3:1-4)
The Blessing of Rain (Hebrews 6:7)
