“Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.” -Genesis 39:20-23

 

In this Podcast:

• Bad things happen to good people
• Don’t worry about evil doers
• Be patient in every circumstance
• Trust in God’s Plan

 

Bad things happen to good people

Genesis 39:12-20

Joseph faced what was most likely the biggest temptation of his life up to this point.  Two of his brothers had failed similar temptations, but Joseph did the right thing and refused to submit to the temptation; however instead of receiving a reward for his good behavior, he instead, was falsely accused of evil and was unjustly punished.

Oftentimes we feel that we deserve some good reward for doing what is expected when in reality doing the right thing, is reward enough. Romans 12:1-3 tells us that we should be willing to sacrifice our wants and desires in order to fulfill the wants and desires of our Savior.  This is just reasonable, it’s not going above and beyond the call of duty, it is the minimum expectation.

Joseph was not expecting to be punished for something that he did not do, he was thrown in prison for a crime that he did not commit.  Joseph did not, however, let this affect his faith in God, and the Lord was still with Joseph as evidenced in Genesis 39:23.

Don’t worry about evil doers

Psalms 37:1-9

We are commanded to not allow the actions of others to control or influence our attitudes or actions.  It easier said than done I know, but that is still the expectation. Joseph did not give up on living for God in the face of his trials.  In fact, we are told in Galatians 6:9 to not be weary in well doing; In 1 Corinthians 15:58  we are reminded that our labor is not in vain, and in Romans 12:12  we are told to be patient in tribulations.  Instead of laying around worried about what our enemies are up too, we are to stay busy for the Lord and continue to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).

Be patient in every circumstance

Psalms 37:7-9 encourages the believer to rest in the Lord and to wait patiently for his timing.  It was 22 years from the time that Joseph had his dreams in Genesis 37 until they were fulfilled in Genesis 45.  Now that’s patience.  Psalms 37 tells us that we are to patiently wait on the Lord and to trust in his plan. When everything looks like it is going sideways, and there is no way things could possibly be going according to God’s Plan, remember that his ways are not our ways. Romans 11:33-36.

Trust in God’s Plan

In John 18:4-37  we see that from an outward appearance, the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was ending in disaster.  But in reality what was happening was by design.  John 18:4 plainly states that Jesus knew full well what was going to happen, and he further states in John 18:37  that “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world”. 

What looked like a disaster to the bystander, in fact, was the entire purpose of his coming.  The situation that Joseph now finds himself in, is much the same way.  His prison sentence was not a detour away from God’s Plan but was an intricate part of that Plan. By Joseph being sent to prison he had the unique ability and opportunity to move towards the fulfillment of the dreams that the Lord had given him in Genesis 37.

Which part of this Podcast Series resonated the most for you? Please share your comments or thoughts