2009 - Day 10 - God At Work

January 10, 2009 … Swindoll’s Topic for Today: God At Work

Passage of the Day: Genesis 40: 20 - 23 ... 20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

My Journal for Today: After I read verse 23 above, I want to say something like, “Aw, common, God, give the dude a break?” I know, and Swindoll points to the proven adage, that one grows the most and grows the strongest in trials rather than through times fit involving the “warm fuzzies” of life. Great Days with the Great Lives for today points to something I’m sure you know; and that is that many in history have become who they are in greatness due to the tests, trials, and tribulations of their lives. And nobody, certainly, is a better example of this than was Joseph.

Here, in today’s passage, we read of our hero trying to help out this cupbearer-butler for the Pharaoh, even asking the butler to remember Joseph, who knew of and was foretelling this cupbearer’s imminent release from prison. And how was Joseph treated? The dude goes off and forgets Joseph and his plight. As I said above, “Aw, common, God, what’s with this?” Have you ever felt like that? I’ll bet you have.

But then, as Christians, we think of the biblical truths of a Romans 8: 28 or Proverbs 3: 5, 6 or a Hebrews 13: 5; and we know that God was NOT forgetting Joseph. No, God was still at work in Joseph’s life and circumstances. When we face similar negative challenges, in life, we may not be able to perceive God’s WHY, especially when challenges come one after another in life; but somehow we have to come to the realization that God is in the mix with which we’re presented – no matter what it is or how often such things happen. And as we can say with 20/20 hindsight, reading ahead in Joseph’s life, he was being prepared, in attitude and spirit, for the confrontation which would take place with his brothers, who were to come back into his life.

How Joseph dealt with the attitude of that butler would have everything to do with how he would one day handle life when his brothers would show up again. But in that moment of time, when the butler simply passed over and forgot him, it had to hurt. How do we handle the “passovers” in life? Do we trust and know that God is in the midst of disappointments like that experienced by our model, Joseph? I hope and pray that I can grow to be like Joseph; because if I do, I know I’m growing into my goal of Christlikeness.

My Prayer Today: Oh, Lord, help me to see You when You lead me through the valley of the shadows as You did your child Joseph. Amen