Joseph: Hope for Troubled Times (3)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 6/1/2014
ILL. Before James Garfield became President of the United States, he was the principle of Hiram College in Ohio. One day, an affluent father once asked him if a particular course of study could be simplified so that his son could graduate in two years instead of four. “Certainly,” replied Garfield. “But it all depends on what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak tree, he takes a hundred years. When he wants to make a squash, he only takes two summers.”
Have you ever wondered what God wants to make of you? Or, perhaps, how long he’s going to take? We don’t like to wait, do we? We’ve got schedules to keep and things to do. We weave through traffic looking for the fast lane. We frown at the person who takes eleven items to the ten-item express checkout. We drum our fingers while the microwave heats our coffee. We really don’t like to wait! We don’t like to wait on the doctor, we don’t like to wait on the pizza, and we certainly don’t like to wait on God.
ILL. Phillips Brooks, the famous Boston pastor, seemed particularly agitated one day. So his secretary asked him what was troubling him. He responded, “The trouble is that I’m in a hurry and God isn’t.” Isn’t that always the trouble?
What are you waiting for? Maybe you’re waiting for a job to open up, or your kids to brighten up, or your spouse to lighten up. Maybe you’re waiting for God to make a move—to heal you, to help you, to herd you in the right direction.
Joseph knows all about waiting. We read his story in a few minutes, but it took a life time for Joseph to live it. He spent a whole afternoon in the pit—that deep, dark cistern his brothers threw him in. It only takes us a moment to read “the Midianite trades arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar,” but it took Joseph over 700 miles and thirty days to experience it. The Bible summarizes Joseph’s service in Potiphar’s house in just one chapter—twenty verses. But Joseph served as Potiphar’s slave for ten years. And after ten years of faithful service, Joseph was thrown in prison, where he continued to wait.
My question for you today is—what do you do while you’re waiting?
If anyone offers us an example worth following, it’s Joseph. As I read chapters 39-40, I see at least three things Joseph did while he was waiting. The first is that Joseph toiled while he waited.
• JOSEPH TOILED WHILE HE WAITED
When last we left Joseph he was thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Potiphar’s trollop of a wife accused him of rape and got him a stint in the royal cell-block. But look what Joseph did while doing hard-time:
“But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” (Genesis 39:21-23 NLT)
Do you ever have those days where you just don’t feel like showing up for work or even getting out of bed? When life is the pits, I think its human nature to pull the covers over your face or slump down into the nearest recliner, rip open a box of Twinkies and call it quits. Maybe you just don’t have the energy to deal with the bill collectors that keep calling, or the boss that keeps yelling, or the customers that keep complaining, or the kids that keep crying, or the spouse that keeps nagging. When things keep going from bad to worse, it’s easy to throw in the towel and surrender to the discouragement, depression and darkness of the pit.
Joseph went from the open pasture, to a dark pit, to a person’s possession, and then to the royal prison! If ever there was a time to give up on life, this was it. But he didn’t. When Joseph was a slave, the determined to be the best slave he could be. His situation suffered a setback, but his attitude didn’t. He may be a prisoner, but he’s going to be the best prisoner he can be. I don’t know what Joseph’s job was in that prison; he may have been digging ditches, or making license plates, or just keeping his cell tidy. But no matter what it was, Joseph did everything he was asked to do to best of his ability. And before long, Joseph was running the whole penitentiary.
ILL. Someone once said, “The grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence; it’s greener where you water it.” The fact that that line come from a Justin Bieber song, doesn’t make it any less true.
ILL. Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, put it this way, “Bloom where you are planted.” That’s what Joseph was determined to do.
While you’re waiting for your circumstances to change, work with what you’ve got. Remember, in the parable of the talents the Master says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities” (Matthew 25:21 NLT).
In the parable, God changes the circumstances of the servant, rewarding him with better job and high praise, because he was faithful with the little bit he had. He toiled, he worked hard, he didn’t complain, he did the best he could with what he had.
While you’re waiting for husband to change, be a faithful wife. While you’re waiting for your boss to notice you, be a faithful employee. While you’re waiting for God to show up, make sure you show up and work while you wait. Next, Joseph not only toiled while he waited, he also tended to the needs of others while he waited.
• JOSEPH TENDED WHILE HE WAITED
Obviously, Joseph wasn’t the only one behind bars. The Bible says that after some time, the Pharaoh’s official cup-bearer and chief baker joined him in jail. Who knows what they did to earn their prison sentence, but the Bible says:
They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them. While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning. When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them. (Genesis 40:4-7 NLT)
This might go without saying, but whatever you’re going through, you’re not the first person to go through it and you won’t be the last. 76% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. 50% of marriages end in divorce. Over 1,000,000 Americans filed bankruptcy last year. Almost 3,000,000 women are treated for breast cancer every year. And each year Americans buy over 3,000,000,000 Tylenol®. Whatever pit you find yourself in, chances are there’s someone else sitting right next to you.
Joseph was in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. But instead of wallowing in self-pity, he looked after the other prisoners who were in there with him. He tended to their needs. When they seemed upset, he displayed genuine concern. And who better to care for a prisoner than a fellow prisoner? Who better to encourage an alcoholic than a recovering alcoholic? Who better to comfort someone experiencing the heartache of divorce than a fellow divorcée? Who better to tend to a cancer victim than a cancer survivor?
Laura Bradley knows a little something about that. Several years ago, a fifteen year old boy named Doug Maurer, was diagnosed with leukemia. He was treated at Saint John’s Children’s Hospital in Saint Louis. The doctors told him in blunt terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They didn't sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most likely bloat. Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. So one day, Doug’s aunt called a floral shop to send him an arrangement of flowers and told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who has leukemia. When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he noticed a second card. It said: "Douglas—I work at Brix florist. I took your order. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I'm 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley." Doug’s face lit up. He was surrounded by the best doctors and getting the best treatment available, but it was a salesclerk in a flower shop who gave Douglas hope and the will to carry on.
The Bible says, “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT). Joseph never read the words, but he lived them each day while waited to get out of prison. While you’re waiting for God to show up or your circumstances to change, why don’t you do the same? Comfort others with the same comfort God has given you.
Finally, in addition to toiling and tend while he waited, Joseph also trusted.
• JOSEPH TRUSTED WHILE HE WAITED
When the cup-bearer and baker told Joseph about their unsettling dreams, Joseph responded by saying, “Interpreting dreams is God’s business” (Genesis 40:8 NLT). Can you believe this? After being thrown in the pit by his brothers, being sold as possession to Potiphar, and then serving who-knows-how-long in maximum security for a crime he didn’t commit, Joseph still hasn’t lost his faith in God.
Through it all, Joseph trusted God.
After giving God credit where credit is due, Joseph explains the meaning of each inmate’s dream. He gave the bad news to the baker and the good news to the cup-bearer. In three days’ time, the chief baker would be impaled on pole and left for dead. The chief cup-bearer however would be released from prison and restored to his high-position on the same day. Three days later, the Pharaoh’s birthday rolls around and both predictions come true. Before the cup-bearer is release, though, Joseph pleaded with him, “Please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it” (Genesis 40:14 NLT). The Bible doesn’t record the cup-bearers response, but I can almost hear it. Can’t you? “Of course! Anything for you. Thank you, Joseph.”
And so Joseph waited. Any day now, the Pharaoh would grant him a royal pardon. A few days pass and Joseph may have thought, “These things take time. There’s probably a lot of red tape.” Then a week goes by. Then another. The weeks turn into months. And the months turn into a year. Then two. The Bible tells us what Joseph didn’t know: “The head cupbearer never gave Joseph another thought; he forgot all about him” (Genesis 40:23 MSG).
For two years Joseph waited. That’s 730 nights alone in his cell. 11,680 waking hours. 63,072,000 ticks of the clock. But after two years of being forgotten, the Pharaoh had a dream. Suddenly the cupbearer’s memory is jolted and Joseph is brought immediately into the Pharaoh’s court. And after two years of waiting, do you what Joseph’s first recorded words were? Joseph answered Pharaoh, “I can’t, but God can give Pharaoh the answer that he needs” (Genesis 41:16 HCSB).
“I can’t, but God can…” No matter what you’re dealing with or how long you’ve been waiting for an answer, those words are still true. You may be infertile or inactive, in limbo, in between jobs or in search of a house, spouse, health, or help. Here’s what you need to know. While you wait, God works! He never stops. Just because you’re idle, don’t assume God is. Trust Him. Maybe you can’t see a solution, but God can. Maybe you can’t go another day, but God can. Trust him while you’re waiting.
Conclusion:
Have you heard about the Chinese bamboo tree? The Chinese plant the seed; they water and fertilize it, but the first year nothing happens. The second year they water and fertilize it, and still nothing happens. The third and fourth years they water and fertilize it, and nothing happens. Then the fifth year they water and fertilize it, and sometime during the course of the fifth year, in a period of approximately six weeks, the Chinese bamboo trees grow roughly ninety feet tall.
The question is—did it grow ninety feet in six weeks or did it grow ninety feet in five years? I think the answer is that it grew ninety feet in five years, because had they not applied the water and fertilizer each year there would have been no growth at all. All of us have these “Chinese bamboo tree” experiences. There are times in our lives when we’re just waiting and God’s will a mystery to us. But it is at those times that we must keep toiling (diligently applying water and fertilizer), kept tending (comfort others who are in the same boat), and keep trusting—maybe you can’t, but God can.
An almost forgotten hymn by Fanny Crosby declares:
Wait on the Lord, wait cheerfully,
And He will thy youth renew;
Wait on the Lord obediently,
Whatever He bids thee do.
Wait on the Lord, for whom hast thou
On earth or in heaven but He?
Over thy soul a watch He keeps,
Whatever thy path may be.
Invitation:
If you’re waiting on God and you could use someone like Joseph to come along side you and wait with you, I want to invite you to come forward and share what you’re going through with me. Together, we’ll toil, tend, trust God while we’re waiting. Let’s stand and sing together church.
