Community & Discipleship
You and Your Challenges (Gen. 39:21~40:23)
Because God is at work even in the pit, we must put our hope in God alone. Through connecting habits, God's shaping, and his discipline, hardship becomes the place where we grow to be a blessing.
Even in the pit, God is at work
Near the end of my studies, I felt God inviting me to a step of faith, so I resigned from my church with nothing lined up. I secretly expected a phone call to come quickly, but none came. For five months our resources ran out and I wondered whether I had heard God wrong. People helped us, and after eight months a call finally came. Joseph, too, was thrown into the pit by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused by Mrs. Potiphar, and forgotten by the cupbearer he helped. Because God is at work even in the pit, we need to learn to put our hope in him.
Many of us find ourselves in a pit
Many of you have known similar challenges. Some have received undeserved treatment from family, or carry hurts even from a decent home. Some feel imprisoned by circumstances, such as caring for a brother with special needs or a sick grandmother. Some have been falsely accused behind their backs, and some have been unfairly abandoned, like a wife who put her husband through school and was then left for someone younger. In the midst of these pits, Joseph's response teaches us lessons that help us place our hope and trust in God.
Build habits that connect you to God (39:21-23)
The Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love, even in prison, and made whatever he did succeed. Steadfast love describes covenant faithfulness, and Joseph also walked with God in obedience. Jesus is with you 24-7, so when you no longer feel his presence, the problem is that you have not learned to connect. Disciplines such as fasting, reading Scripture, and worship are means of grace. Jesus began his day alone in prayer (Mark 1) and prayed before baptism, choosing the twelve, and the Transfiguration. Daniel's enemies saw that his secret was praying three times a day. Like marathon training, these habits must start today, so start the day centered on Christ and pause to pray at 9, 12, and 3.
God shapes your character through hardship (40:1-19)
What was God doing in the prison? Joseph did not hold a self-pity party. He noticed the downcast faces of Pharaoh's officers and asked, "Why are your faces downcast today?" (40:7), because God had comforted him. God teaches us to love people, even difficult ones. Joseph had once been immature with his dreams, but now he said, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" and used his gift in dependence on God. He told the baker the hard truth in love, so the man could prepare for the end of his life. Some lessons are learned only the hard way, such as humility, kindness, and patience.
Why two more years? God alone is your hope (40:14-15)
Why did Joseph have to stay in prison two more years? He asked the cupbearer to show him kindness, using the same word as God's steadfast love, and to mention him to Pharaoh. God had to teach him that no person or thing can be the source of his deliverance, joy, and life. Hebrews 12 speaks of the Lord's discipline using the word paideia, which is the root of "pediatric". It is a parent's redemptive training of a self-centered child, not retribution. God uses painful, broken things to deal with the brokenness in our hearts. He was shaping Joseph to be a blessing through whom salvation would come to many.
Spring comes: bring your pain to God
Some of you are in a season of winter and feel you are in a pit with no end in sight. But spring does come, and some trees that did not survive the winter will be chopped down and thrown away. Do not let painful challenges make you bitter and disillusioned, asking, "God, where are you? I deserve better." Come before God, turn your hope to him, and let his words of love, hope, and grace speak to you. Lay down your burdens and allow him to work deep inside, remembering that he gave his one and only Son. His purpose is not to hurt you more but to use you to bless others.
Apply to Life
- Let us put our hope in God, who is with us even in the pit.
- Let us build daily habits of connecting with God, such as Scripture reading, prayer, and worship, and pause to pray through the day.
- Let us look beyond our own pain to love the people around us, even difficult ones, and use our gifts in dependence on God.
- Let us speak the truth in love and not hide it or use it carelessly.
- Let us accept God's discipline as a father's redemptive training and not turn to any person or thing as the source of our deliverance.
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