God Sees in Ages; We See in Tomorrows

 Dear Christa—

From Genesis to Now: Gen. 41:41-56

Twenty plus years is a long time. I think it’s a lesson for me to realize that God is always at work. To look back on 20 years reveals His hand, but we don’t always see the daily sanctification that is revealed through time. Joseph is no longer a prisoner. He’s been given a new name, a wife, sons, and a prominent position, but ultimately all these things are for the purpose of God’s glory.

God sees in ages; we see in tomorrows. Eventually, our bad has a way of swinging into good. If Joseph knows more than what his childhood dreams revealed, the text doesn’t tell it. It appears Joseph simply walked the path set before him. He has few, if any, choices. So, as in Potiphar’s house, the captain’s prison, and now as Egypt’s second in command, Joseph does the work where he is. One thing Joseph knows through the good and the bad is that God is with him, and He blesses him in what he does. So, Joseph takes his pagan wife and has two sons. Their names reveal that he doesn’t turn from God, but recognizes His hand in his circumstances.

Manasseh: “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”

Ephraim: “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Then, as predicted, the seven years of plenty ends and the seven years of famine commences, but Joseph and all Egypt is ready.

We prepare for the hardship during times of abundance. We learn of God during the good times to find Him near in the difficult. We face the challenges and heartaches of life with confidence in God because we’ve already developed a firm relationship with Him.

And, sometimes like with Joseph, God will bring about great blessing in the times of our famine.

—the parishioner who doesn’t do anything