This past Sunday evening, while preaching through the book of Genesis, I got to a point in Joseph's life that, though unusual, we could probably still identify with. He is in jail. Not a situation I can empathize with, but I do have an idea what he may be feeling in a situation that has him bound, suffering, maybe hurting, and to top it all off, a situation that he did did not deserve. While studying this passage, I stumbled upon a verse in Psalms 18:6, "In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears."
Distress, that summed up where I felt Joseph was in his life, reminded me of some places in my life, and brought a challenge to mind. What do I do in distress? How do I react? Remember, distress isn't just a sickness, trouble, or temptation. We could be talking about sorrow or anxiety. How do you handle it?
Well before I sum up how Joseph handled it as an example for us all, I want to share with you a story. Many years ago my wife and I needed bedroom furniture. The California king waterbed we had finished its course. It was already filled with a cheap regular mattress after the Christmas Eve elbow through the waterbed mattress fiasco, and it was not comfortable nor practical in our home. We shopped for a set and found one in each of the three major brand names, and they all looked the same. As we shopped I noticed that all of the floor models had a common damage to them and after a while I finally asked why the wood looked so rough with all of the marks. Of course, these marks were all about the same and evenly spaced apart but I was clueless on furniture. I was actually embarrassed to find out that the marks belonged there. They were mechanically put there on purpose. It was called "distressing" and here was the good part. The salesman said, "It adds character." WOW! Distressing adds character. I bet you don't think of it that way in the middle of it, but that is how God views difficulty in our life. The hard time are on purpose with a purpose.
Now, what can we learn from Joseph? Real quick...First, keep your priorities straight. Remember, God first, others second, and self last. That's what Joseph did in Genesis 40. Next, practice your patience. Joseph spent years in his distressing situation and we never read of complaints when he got there by an injustice, gripes when he was forgotten by those he helped, or whining when it seemed that his dreams were never going to be realized. Lastly, we find out in chapter 41, verse 38 that the Spirit of God was in Joseph. When in these difficult times, we ought to continue to pursue God. Don't let up. Don't quit. Continue following hard after God.
Hey, in case you didn't know, distress is coming and/or it's already here. How will you handle it? If you do it like Joseph, it will develop character. Oh, by the way, I failed to mention that there was an ultimate promotion in Joseph's life because of his character, and all of his dreams came true. That's an outcome worth waiting for, at least from my Perspective.
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