Everything is yours Joseph!
Genesis 45:20 “Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.”
The pagan monarch Pharaoh looks at Joseph and tells him that the” good of all the land of Egypt is yours! “ This is absolutely bewildering! When God’s favor is on a person the blessings come pouring in enormous measure. This was ‘blessing time’ for Joseph! God would dish out the best and finest for you when you stay in tune with Him. Are you listening? James 1:12, talks about reward for endurance, the scripture says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” Dear friend, never quit, there is abundance of blessing in store for us when we endure the pain, heat and struggle. God knows it all, He knows the injustice done to you, He knows the pain, the humiliation that you are going through, the betrayal and your loneliness as well. I have never stopped being amazed as I read the marvelous history of Joseph. He teaches us valuable lessons of endurance, patience and humility.
Joseph is introduced as a young lad of seventeen years, loved and cherished dearly by his dad but then the story takes a sudden twist and we find all his dreams, hopes come crashing down and we find him in the prison for the next 13 years. He is falsely accused, his character assaulted and thrown into the prison, abandoned in the dungeon for many years. Particularly I read this scripture with tears in my eyes: Genesis 40:15” For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.” His heart is broken to pieces because he was suffering for no wrong done. He is unable to understand the present circumstances, the prison bars and the dark period surely would have devastated him. He was in a foreign land with no one to comfort, no one to lean on and no one to share the pain. Are you there right now? Even though Joseph did not realize it, God was right there in that prison with him. God would reach out to you too! Regardless of our “feelings” or “perceptions,” God is never far. He is omnipresent!
Dear friend, I realized one thing in my life, “the more closer you get to God, you are far away from others!” It is lonely on top! From the time I walked out of my job to work for my Lord until now, I have never turned to anyone for my needs or for consolation but to Him who called me. Unless you really feel the heart beat of God and you are so close that you can smell His sweetness, it is difficult to understand certain ‘dark period’ of our life. I remember one particular evening while I was preaching, it was almost 10 days past the due date to pay certain outstanding bills; besides the financial crisis, certain other mental pressures as well choked me that day. It was the most scary time of our ministry. I was powerfully preaching on trusting God during trials and tribulations. I was moved myself and unable to control the tears that were flowing down my cheek. They were not tears of fear but they were tears of ‘knowing the pain’, tears of being there, tears of understanding….. Dear friend, we need to be equipped to face uncertainty in our life. I have never questioned God as to why I suffer having obeyed Him? I know there are goodies waiting for me! DON’T TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE PEDAL! THAT’S IT!
