“Only think of me when all is well with you, and please do me the great favor of mentioning me to Pharaoh, to get me out of this place.
The truth is that I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and I have not done anything here that they should have put me into a dungeon.”
Genesis 40:14-15 (NAB)
Joseph is speaking in this scripture to one of his fellow prisoners, a cupbearer for the King of Egypt, the Pharaoh. The cupbearer was punished and shared the same dungeon as Joseph, who was imprisoned after a series of misfortunes, false accusations and injustices. Joseph was abandoned by his own brothers, kidnapped, sold as a slave, and finally ended up in prison for a crime he never even committed.
Joseph made friends with, and earned the respect and trust of many fellow prisoners and the jailers, while he was there. He befriended the cupbearer who previously worked close beside Pharaoh. When the time came for that cupbearer to be released from prison, Joseph pleaded with him to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf. The cupbearer promised to intercede for Joseph, but he actually forgot all about him.
For days, weeks and months, Joseph kept hoping and praying that the cupbearer was speaking to the king on his behalf, but nothing changed and Joseph remained imprisoned for a long time, while no word ever came about his release.
Two long years later, the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and mentioned him to Pharaoh and Joseph finally received his long awaited breakthrough.
God has an appointed time for everything. It may feel like He has forgotten us at times. People may forget us, but God never forgets us.
If Joseph was meant to be freed sooner, God would have quickened the cupbearer’s memory, but He didn’t, because it wasn’t his time yet. When Joseph was finally set free, he was more than just a man freed from prison, he was God’s man of the hour, promoted to second in command over Egypt, during a famine.
Joseph had great wisdom and devised a plan for storing grain, long before a famine set in. He was promoted to a royal official second in command, over Pharaoh’s household and nation. His grain storage plan saved Egypt as well as the surrounding nations during that famine. Joseph would have been content just to see the ocean, sun and sky again, he never thought about being promoted, but God did. All those years he spent in a dungeon, were years of waiting, not lost years.
The best thing about Joseph’s character is that he harbored no resentment toward others, even though all his troubles were instigated by his envious, abusive brothers, and unscrupulous people along the way, who falsely accused him. Joseph was a beautiful human being, and is considered a type and foreshadow of Christ in all that he went through. He was an example of someone who loved God and forgave others, even though he suffered false accusations and mistreatment by his own.
When God reunited Joseph with his father and brothers, there was only love and forgiveness between all of them. Although our lives can take a confusing path, full of heartbreak and disappointments, like Joseph’s, faith in God will eventually reap rewards later. Our years may be spent in waiting for something, but Joseph’s life proves that those years are never wasted.
All things work together for the greatest good, for those who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. God’s timing is always perfect, and if we learn one thing from Joseph, it’s that we don’t need an itinerary to our destination, as long as we know God is our driver.
God loves us and has good plans for us. He turns our misfortune into blessings, and whatever appears to be an injustice, He can and will turn around one day, according to His purpose, promoting and lifting up those who trust in Him.
Lord, we pray for your perfect will to be done in our lives, and give us the grace and wisdom to wait patiently in spite of disappointments. We trust that you will pour your blessings upon us all, as you did for Joseph. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen
