Prayer Journal

Thursday, December 11, 2003

Joseph had every reason to be angry and seek retribution for what his brothers did to him. It was certainly within his power to take revenge on his enemies and most would have not blamed him for doing it. This is "eye for eye" stuff; the normal way in the Middle East for a person to settle accounts for what someone did to them or their family.

If Joseph had determined to even the score, I believe the cup bearer who kept him in prison longer than necessary might have used some extended jail time. And then, there was Potipher's wife who needed to publicly apologize for the wrongful accusation she made against him. And what about her husband who believed his wife's lies without ever asking him what really happened. Of course, Joseph probably would not have told him the truth, even though this was probably not the first time his master's wife had tried to seduce men other than her husband.

Well, that didn't happen. Joseph was a man of character and accepted the consequences for other's wrongdoing. He never defended himself as far as we know, but bore his punishment willingly even thought he was innocent of the crime. Now you know why he is considered by many as a type of Christ. (See: Isaiah 53:7)

Joseph's faith was amazing. No matter how dark the circumstances, how dire the consequences, how hopeless his isolation, he seemed to keep faith. He didn't act like God had left him alone to bear the burden by himself. He must have often convinced himself, "I know God is at work. He must have a good reason for putting me here, even though I can't understand it right now."

Have you ever felt that God was silently at work in your life, placing you where you needed to be in order to use you for his glory when the time was right? That's exactly what Scripture says God is doing in the life of every Christian.

Seeing God at work is not hard to do when from the mountain-top you look back and see what he did it and how he did it. But it can be tough to do when you're in a dark lonesome valley with no seeming way to get out and have convinced yourself that no one, including God, knows you're there.

Stand up and look up, Christian friend. What you see as dark and foreboding circumstances is actually the light of day before dawn. It's never darker than the moments before the sun breaks through on the horizon. If you're convinced you can't stand the pressure anymore, remember "the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings." Mal 4:2

Just Thinkin'... WebServant

Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

Copyright © 1998-2003 James R. Green and Prayertower Ministries
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