Jan 26 (Daily reading: Genesis 41-42) The preparation for Joseph’s God-sized assignment continued while he remained in prison for two years. Then God orchestrated the circumstances so it could begin. Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret, and when the chief cupbearer finally remembered what had happened in prison, Joseph was summoned. I love Joseph’s response when told of Pharaoh’s dream: “It has nothing to do with me; God will give Pharaoh an answer for his own good” (41:16). It brings to my mind what John the Baptist said about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). We must remember when doing our own God-sized assignments that God honors humility!
God gave Joseph not only the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, but also a survival plan. Pharaoh concluded, “Can we find a man like this, in whom there is a divine spirit?” And he said to Joseph, “I have placed you over all the land of Egypt” (41:38,41). When the famine reached Canaan where Jacob and his sons lived, Jacob sent them to Egypt to buy grain. When Joseph saw his brothers, he set in motion a series of events that would test them to the limit. When they found themselves in trouble in Egypt, they thought at once of what they had done to Joseph many years earlier. This shows that they had lived all those years with guilt. God was dealing also with Joseph; he began treating his brothers harshly to test them, but at one point, “he turned away from them and wept” (42:24).
Take a moment to pause and reflect on the awesome works of God in your own life! I can think of many times when God orchestrated the events and circumstances of my life so that His ultimate purposes would be fulfilled. “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD” (Jer. 29:11).
-Al Gary
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