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So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Genesis 39:20-21 (NLT)
It’s the rallying cry of men and women, boys and girls from almost the time they can first utter words. “It’s not Fair!” You hear it in the voice of a two-year old when they want a certain toy, ice cream for breakfast or are unable to play in the middle of a busy street. You hear it from a teen-ager when the curfew is too early, homework is required to be done, and any rules are expected to be followed. You even hear it from Olympic athletes who are told that they are only second best in the world this time around, not first. You hear it when God doesn’t answer prayers in the time and fashion we desire.
Sometimes it seems like the events of life and the people around us are all stacked against us. We feel like even God Himself just “Isn’t that into us.” We read stories of how this person picked them up from failure to succeed, or how that prayer was answered miraculously by God, or families on the verge of breakup are saved, and we wonder, “What about me?”
The life of Joseph is a good example of someone whose life was anything but fair. He felt the rejection of family when his brothers sold him into slavery. He was wrongfully accused of rape and thrown into prison. Once there, he befriended a couple guys who said they’d speak up for him, but forgot.
It couldn’t have been easy for Joseph. There must have been many times when he could have grown bitter or angry at God or at the many people around him who let him down. But Joseph didn’t do that. Even in prison he was seen by the warden as being a man of character. The skills he learned while in captivity helped him later in life to be one the greatest leaders Egypt ever knew.
It’s hard to admit, but many times when life seems unfair, and we get angry or bitter, it’s because whatever the ‘unfairness’ is makes us feel bad about ourselves. We feel like failures. True, Godly character is seen in a person by how they react when the circumstances of their life are not fair.
When we realize who we are in Jesus the attacks of the enemy don’t affect us as easily. We can rise to the challenge and use the unfair events of life as stepping stones for later success. Starting today, look for ways to allow God to use you in whatever life is throwing at you. Trust Him to take care of the inequities you are being subjected to. Let Him direct your actions to change your world.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, right now there are so many things in life that are making me angry and keeping me from experiencing all you have for me in life. Please forgive me for the anger I have towards you and others. Empower me to use this trying time in my life to show others the great and loving God you are. Give me wisdom t know how to act with Godly Character like Joseph did. Amen.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11
The people of God were in exile in a far off land. They’d been separated from family, their homes and most importantly the ability to worship God freely. Psalm42 is a song that was written during this time of hopelessness. They longed for way things used to be. For the ability to sing their songs, to meet with family and hear God’s word.
Now, all that was gone. They were taunted and harassed by people who didn’t believe as they did. They were constantly reminded by the people in this new land that their God was weak and perhaps even dead. They were called fools for the way they desired to worship. Lies were told about them. It was a very terrible and lonely time.
The ‘prison’ the Israelites found themselves in was a real one. They were slaves and told what to do, where to go, what to eat. They had very little say in any part of their lives. Some even died as a result of the hardship.
Even though we may not be in a prison with walls, sometimes we can find ourselves in a prison without walls. We look back to times in our lives when life was good. We had a family, we had a good job, and the kids listened to us. Now, we long for those times.
There are lots of things that can put us in a prison without walls. Divorce, illness, financial disaster, job loss, rebellious kids or any other number of issues can make us long for the ‘good ole’ days’. They bring pain and despair into our lives. But those issues aren’t the walls. The walls are how we react to the issues.
The issues of life cause us to feel ashamed, lonely, guilty, and angry and any number of other emotions. The way we react to the struggles of life builds walls around us that keep us from experiencing all the good that our loving Heavenly Father has for us.
No matter what is going on in your life God loves you. It doesn’t matter if the things happening to you are a result of your own poor choices or the evil inflicted by other, abusive people. Jesus loves you. It doesn’t matter if you once ‘were a good Christian’ and now have walked away from the faith. Jesus wants to welcome you back with open arms.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. Right now you know the struggle I’m going through. You know my pain, my shame, my guilt. My enemy attacks me. My finances are a disaster. I feel completely defeated. Please tear down these walls that keep me from experiencing all that you have for me. Help me to live by the measurement of your standards and not the standards others seek to force on me. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 