Moving to Egypt

No, not us, but it got your attention, didn't it?  :-)  Every morning at our admin office we start with "prayers."  It's actually more than just prayers, though.  We start with a couple of songs and then someone does a short devotion.  We follow it with prayers.  Devotion days are assigned and since Jeff has language every morning, "Vigil" days are mine! 

Having just returned from a very relaxing vacation on the shores of the Indian Ocean, I hadn't put the time into preparing as I usually feel I should.  (It's a type-A thing...)  As I crawled into bed the night before, I said an urgent prayer, "God, please give me something to talk about!"  I'm sure I probably should have phrased that more respectfully, but God listens and as I was drifting off to sleep I thought of Joseph.

I love the story of Joseph!  There's just so much good stuff to pull from his life.  While in Uganda, Joseph was the basis for a talk I gave to a group of high school girls on choices..ones they had and ones they didn't.  But that's for another blog.  This evening, God gave me something new, and as I woke the next morning the devo formulated.

God wanted Joseph in Egypt.  He needed him there.  God had a HUGE job planned for Joseph.  There was just the small issue of how to get Joseph to leave his comfy surroundings with his pretty coat and loving Dad -- a home of luxury, likely, as Jacob (his dad) was very wealthy.  Not only did God need to get Joseph to Egypt, but He needed to get Joseph connected with the Pharaoh -- the King of Egypt! 

So, God set into play a series of events that began with a couple of fairly obvious dreams he gave to Joseph.  Joseph spouted off to his already-jealous brothers that they'd bow down to him someday, and even managed to irk his dad by saying the same thing.  It seems that the dream thing may have been the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back" with his brothers and sent them over the edge into felony behavior.  In any case, Joseph found himself on his way to Egypt. 

Do you think Joseph felt blessed to be sold into slavery by brothers he trusted, thinking he'd never see his dear, beloved dad again?

As purchased property it was highly unlikely that he had a cushy ride on a nice camel and ate dates and figs on the way.  He was given water and probably bread and likely made to walk through desert and rough terrain behind the camel.  (Oh what a view!)

Do you think Joseph felt blessed as he sidestepped yet another pile of hot, smelly camel poo?

Then God gave Joseph a really good job when he got to Egypt.  Well, really good for a slave.  The Bible says that Joseph's work was blessed by God and everything he did was favorable.  So we know that God was with Joseph then.  And, we know that God has promised to never leave or forsake us, so God was with Joseph in the pit and through the desert hike, too.  Then that evil woman had to lie and make up stories to protect her precious ego and Joseph ended up in prison.

Do you think Joseph felt blessed as he went back to bread and water in the dark, dank, dungeon?

Surely he must have felt hope when the Cup Bearer promised to remember him when he gave him the good news that he'd keep his head!  But two years went by and Joseph didn't hear word one from the outside world.

Do you think Joseph felt blessed as his hopes were crushed each day of those two years?

I think we give Satan too much credit for the "junk" that happens in our lives, simply because we couldn't possibly think things like slavery, loss of home and family, physical exhaustion, ruin of reputation and prison as things that God would allow us to experience...that he would "bless" us with.  Throughout all of these not-so-great experiences, though, the Bible tells us that God was with Joseph and blessed him in each situation he was in.  Without these experiences, could Joseph have been molded into the leader he was?  Without Joseph in charge of all Egypt during the feast years, how many people in Israel and Egypt would have perished?  God needed Joseph in Egypt, and needed him prepared for leadership.

Just because our circumstances look bleak doesn't mean that God has left us, or is upset with us.  Maybe it simply means that these circumstances are the best way for God to get us ready for the blessing ahead.  Maybe He's just grooming us to be a blessing to others.  Maybe...maybe He just needs to move us!