WAIT ON GOD
THROUGH TRIALS
Seventh of
fourteen devotions in Gethsemane series
Genesis
39:19-23
Genesis
39:20: “And Joseph’s master took him and
put him in prison. The place where the king’s prisoners were confined.”
Lamentations
3:24-26: “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is
my portion; therefore I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those who whose hope is in
Him, to the one who seeks Him. It is
good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.’”
Joseph was the dearly-loved son of
the Christian patriarch Jacob. Our covenantal
faith heritage, both Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish, began with Abraham. God’s covenantal promises to Abraham passed to
his son Isaac, then onto Isaac’s son Jacob.
Isaac told Jacob to find a wife
among his mother’s brother Laban’s family in Genesis 28:2. Jacob first encountered shepherds watering
their flocks when Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep.
Seeing lovely Rachel was all it took
for Jacob to fall in love. Laban was
very glad to meet Jacob! He promised
both his older daughter Leah and younger daughter Rachel to Jacob in marriage. But…
Why is there always a “but?” Laban wanted Jacob to work for Leah seven
years THEN for Rachel another seven years.
Unbelievable! (Genesis 29:16-30). Jacob had many sons with Leah, but it was
years later when Rachel bore him Joseph (Genesis 30:1-22).
We can understand Jacob’s fondness
for Joseph, his first son from his beloved Rachel. Joseph’s brothers hated Joseph because dad
showed him such preference over them.
They treated Joseph very badly! Nevertheless,
Joseph was happy, wearing his beautiful new robe dad made for him. (Genesis 37:2-4).
Joseph’s problems got serious when
he checked on his brothers in Shechem for dad’s peace-of-mind (Genesis 37:12-36).
Stripped of his beautiful new robe,
Joseph’s brothers tossed him into an empty cistern. They sold him to a travelling caravan. Then he was further sold to Potiphar, one of
Pharaoh’s officials in Egypt. The 1st
opening Scripture shows where Joseph landed.
The 2nd opening Scripture
shows Joseph’s attitude for life.
Whatever his circumstance, Joseph knew that: 1) he belonged to God, 2) he’d cling to his
faith, 3) he’d never fix problems on his own, and 4) he’d wait patiently—even
when things went from bad to worse—confident in God’s salvation.
Take Home Nugget
God rewarded Joseph’s faith.
Joseph’s promotion! Pharaoh said, “Since God has made all this
known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all
my people shall submit to your orders.” (Genesis 41:39-40).
Check out the lesson linked below to
discover Joseph’s fun messing with his brothers.
Through my trials Lord, help
me to remain confident that my salvation is from You!
Adapted from “Willing to Wait for God’s Way” and “Through Times of Trial.” Dr. Charles Stanley. March 6 and 11, 2015. In Touch magazine. Georgia, USA.
J.D. Griffith
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