Confidence

Genesis 41: 16, 25 and 32-33   -  Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." …..  Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dream of Pharaoh is one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. ……   “And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.  Now therefore let Pharaoh select a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.”

It is so amazing to me how God works sometimes. The Pharaoh had two dreams….in one night…and they ‘troubled his spirit’ ….so much so that he sought his magicians’ help. The meaning was hidden from these men who used Satan’s power….so that the butler could finally remember who helped him understand his dream….and Joseph is not just pulled out of the dungeon…but given a bath and new clothes before he is placed in front of the great king.

I love his words to Pharaoh before he tells what God has revealed to him. Joseph in his humbleness….seizes an opportunity to give God all the credit for his gifting and says, “It is not me, God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” And he proceeds to tell Pharaoh about the next 14 years…making sure that he told him that the two dreams of the same content meant they were soon to take place.  And Joseph doesn’t stop with the meaning of the dreams…he pours out to Pharaoh the vision of storing the grain grown in the 7 years of plenty…..so that no one would starve during the 7 years of horrible famine.

It is Joseph’s strong faith that has brought him to this moment…Joseph’s personal relationship with God that has revealed these dreams to him….and as he allows God to speak through him ….Pharaoh sees the benefit of having a man that worships and holds on to Yahweh for his strength in charge of such a huge task. The organization of all that Joseph outlined would need the blessing of something greater than Pharaoh had ever worshiped….and so God orchestrates the promotion that places Joseph…second in power to Pharaoh….the great King of Egypt.

One of the commentaries I studied triggered one other thought. Joseph started out as a lowly shepherd boy…and as he went through the storms that trained him for this huge job with Pharaoh…he put his heart and soul in God…who gave him success in every small task he was given.  Each season of his storm…each moment of his slavery in Egypt…he was trusted with a job…and he did them well. The commentaries reminded me of Luke 16:10…which says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  Joseph was trusted with little…and God blessed him with more and more…until the day he was ready to be trusted with much!

I am confident this morning that God is training me through my own storm…it was pretty rough there for a while….I know I complained my way through the last job I was given….made many mistakes…failing miserably to be who God needed me to be.. But like the butler in this story was restored to try once again to serve Pharaoh….I was restored through his goodness and mercy to try once again to get it right.  And the amazing thing is…. how life is good right now.  I am waking to a great schedule every day….and I love my job once again.  I bubble over with joy in what I do…and hope that I can stay in this good place a long time.

Father…words just can’t describe how much I love you…and how thankful I am for what you have done in my life these past three years. I thank you for the storms that not only gave me intense pain….but I thank you for the intense joy that you intermingled with it. Give me a strength and faith like Joseph…to be confident in the gifts you have given me…and always give you the glory for every blessing you have rained down on me in my 53 years of life. Give me Joseph’s ability to see the positive in every task that you assign to me...and help me to stop many times a day to thank you….and worship you…and praise you. Thank you for the mercy and grace that allows me so many second chances…thank you for the saving blood that washes me clean anytime I admit my sins to you and ask for your forgiveness. Amen.