Right Where He Wants Us

Joseph was the second youngest son of Jacob and greatly loved by his
father. In fact, his brothers developed a jealous hatred for him
because their father "loved Joseph more than any of his other sons"
(Genesis 37:3). Their hatred for Joseph continued to grow until they
"sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites who took
him to Egypt" (Genesis 37:28). Joseph was then sold to Potiphar, the
captain of the guard for Pharaoh, and was soon falsely accused by
Potiphar's wife and thrown in jail.

At this point, Joseph could really have felt sorry for himself -
things were definitely not going well! Only a short time before,
Joseph's path had seemed well established; his father loved him, he
knew where he was going, and his life was filled with joy. Now,
locked up and in a foreign land, Joseph's life seemed to have taken a
drastic turn for the worse.

Genesis 39:20-22
"But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; He
showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison
warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the
prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there."

It's safe to say that all of us, at different times during our walk
with the Lord, feel like we've been sent far away and locked up. We
feel distanced from God and unable to change our
circumstances. Others seem to be pushing all the buttons and we sink
into a deep despair.

But is it possible God is much closer than we think? "Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Is it possible
He is working (even now!) this terrible situation toward the
good? "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him"
(Romans 8:28). And is it possible that in the middle of our "prison"
God has much work for us to do?

While in jail, Joseph interpreted dreams for Pharaoh's officials
(Genesis 40) and was then called to interpret a dream for Pharaoh;
"I've heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can
interpret it" (Genesis 41:15). Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream
and was placed in a position of great responsibility; "You shall be
in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your
orders" (Genesis 41:40). It was God's plan to place Joseph in
control of the distribution of food, and therefore, to save many
lives...including the lives of his father and brothers (Genesis 42-48).

No matter what this day brings - no matter how trapped we feel - we
must keep looking for God's good and trusting that His plan is
unfolding. He is using our circumstances to mold us and draw us
close to His side; and He's using our testimony of faith to encourage
others to love Him more. We must believe that, even in the middle of
our prison, God is in control and we are right where He wants us!

Have a Great Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

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Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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Lorena, TX 76655
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