Work It Out

I started reading the story of Joseph and my first thoughts were how mind blowing it was to see God’s faithful hand at work. God blessed Joseph with the favor he needed to succeed. Joseph did what I believe most of us (including me) struggle to do; that is listening/obeying authority. Joseph listened and did all that he was to do, and through that, God showed him his faithful love. Genesis 39:21 says, “But the Lord was with Jospeh in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.” (NLT) God made Jospeh the warden’s second hand man. IN PRISON… Jospeh was the warden’s second hand man! Let that sink in for a bit.

Prior to this, Joseph earned his place in being Potiphar's personal attendant and maintained the entire house, including livestock. Potiphar's wife started to look at Jospeh lustfully and persistently asked Joseph to come and sleep with her. Joseph stuck to his guns and resisted temptation. He was accused later in the story of sleeping with the wife after running away to avoid trouble. Through and through, God found favor with Jospeh and blessed him in abundance. Joseph may not have seen the Lord’s hand over his life, but in the end it was for a bigger purpose. Jospeh was about to unveil what was going to be. God saw Jospeh’s efforts (big or small) and blessed him.

In previous blogs, I've always said that sometimes while we are in the storms, we may have a difficult time seeing God at work. Truth be told, God never stops working on our behalf. Even when God seems silent, he is still working. The story of Joseph is beautiful. I believe that God used Jospeh to teach us that our efforts matter, especially when God is a the center of each decision. God wants to remind you today that he sees your small efforts, and in his perfect time, he will bless you in abundance.