But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Genesis 39:21 KJV)
Showed him mercy? If I were Joseph, I would have wondered aloud about this particular verse: First of all, my father would have loved me best, showing his favor with a most beautiful coat of many colors. I would have been given dreams from God that promised me honor among my brothers. Sure, I would have been a bit arrogant about it – who wouldn’t. I was chosen for great things.
Look where that got him. A pit in Dothan and a prison in Egypt. Joseph’s abilities couldn’t be hidden, though. Sold to Potiphar, he quickly organized the household, gained great favor and garnered the attention of a scheming woman.
Prison would have been just as bad as the pit his brothers used. No rich coats, no honor just the interpretation of dreams from his previous life. Through it all Joseph still had the Lord with him.
Would we?
If we lost our family, would we keep the Lord with us? If our family turned against us, would we keep the Lord with us? If we were wrongly convicted? If there were injustice, guilt, fear, would we keep the Lord with us.
Were the truth to be told, most of us would not.
Instead, we rail against God and become angry. We compare our loss to Christ and cry out My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46b KJV)
In some cases, to achieve our own desires, we declare God non-existent and leave his mercies behind. In others, to ease our own pain, we declare Him uncaring and reject Him.
In still other cases, we still love and serve Him knowing full well … that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)
Without that belief, we might be Paul’s example of those who turn their backs on God’s mercy:
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? (Romans 9:20 KJV)
We would do much better to follow Joseph’s example of excelling where he found himself. Where do we get the faith to do this?
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)
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