Weekly Devotion

Last time we saw how God lifted Joseph up from the lowest of low in prison to the second highest position in all of Egypt, the most civilized country of the ancient world. He lifted him up within minutes. But it took thirteen years of preparation for Joseph before this moment arrived. He could have become despondent and could have forsaken God during that time, but he didn't. He continued following God and doing the best he could, doing good to others in the process. God honored that and lifted him high at precisely the right moment. And we learned that this could be true of us as well, we should never lose heart, but we should continue with our responsibilities as well as doing good to others and fellowshipping with God on a daily basis. Our turn will come, when God will use us in the best possible way, honoring His Name and His Kingdom.

Joseph was now second in command in Egypt. As exciting as this was, this must have been a very daunting task. After all he didn't have the proper training for the task up ahead. He didn't go to a 'university' to study what to do in a situation like this. He didn't have the experience of running a country. He didn't know how Pharaoh's palace was run etc. etc. He was literally thrown into the deep end. But He had God. And that made all the difference. He did his best and God did the rest:

"So Joseph gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it is immeasurable." Genesis 41:48, 49

God gave Joseph wisdom and knowledge to gather the food for the seven years of famine. He helped him in all the details and Joseph blossomed. He became powerful in the eyes of the people and Pharaoh sent all the people to Joseph to deal with:

"So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do." Genesis 41:55

Joseph did such a good job, that Pharaoh trusted him totally. He had total confidence in him and that says a lot.

When God appoints you to do a certain job, He will equip you to be able to do the job as well. You might feel afraid and inadequate, but God will equip and lead you. He will not abandon you, but help you throughout the process. He will never place you in a certain position without being confident that you would be able to do it.

This reminds me of a saying - "Do it afraid." If God wants you to do something, do it even if you feel afraid. It might be that He wants you to forgive someone, or that He wants you to correct someone, or He wants you to be more assertive and stand up for yourself or maybe He wants you to expose wrong doing, or maybe He has led you to a new place or a new job and He wants you to reach out to others or to change systems etc. Whatever the case may be, He will lead and guide you. He will. Just ask wisdom from Him, He promises to give it to you:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

Father thank you that we can ask wisdom from You. You led Joseph and he did a sterling job, please lead us too. Help us to know what is the best thing to do and give us the courage to do it. We want to honor You and be the best we can be. Amen

Last week we learned that God's Spirit flowed so greatly through Joseph that even Pharaoh noticed it and commented on it. Joseph was so close to God that he immediately knew what Pharaoh's dreams meant and he also knew what to do about the dreams. He didn't hesitate or waver; he knew instantly what needed to be done because God was mightily with him. And the same could be true of us. When we live really close to God, we can also move more easily in His Spirit and know what God wants us to do and say to other people. Wouldn't that be wonderful? How amazing would that be to know what to say to other people and knowing that it is God speaking through you! It is possible; you just need to spend the time with God. Then breakthroughs will come.

Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream and told him what to do about the revelation too. Pharaoh could see God moving through Joseph and without a moment's notice:

"Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne I will be greater than you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." Genesis 41:39-44

I have read the life of Joseph many times before, but when I read these verses again I realized the impact of what just happened here. It is truly phenomenal and God inspired. Where have you ever heard of a foreigner in jail rising to second in command of the most civilized country in the world within minutes? How on earth is that possible? He is taken out of jail and given all the riches of Egypt, ruler over all except for Pharaoh. No one can even lift a hand or foot without Joseph's consent. That is unheard of, especially for a foreigner. In an instant his whole life changed. He rose from the lowest of low to the highest of high in a matter of minutes. Did he do something in the physical realm to deserve it? No, not really if you look at him through the eyes of the Egyptians. BUT GOD. It is so amazing to see how God's will always come to pass. Joseph did his part, and then God did the impossible. Joseph's part was to do the best he can in the circumstances, to do good to others and to stay close to God. And then God took over and exalted him within minutes, after Joseph's obedience of 13 years!

Today the same can be said of us. We need to do our part, namely to do the best you can where you are at, to do good to others and to stay close to God. It is as simple as that. Then God will step in for us at precisely the right moment and exalt us to where we need to be. The problem with us is that instead of casting our care on God, we keep the care, but we cast the responsibility unto Him. We moan and complain and we do not want to do our part. We become selfish and stagnate. We blame God for things happening in our lives and we don't believe that He will come through for us. And that is a recipe for disaster. We cannot throw away our responsibility. Joseph would never have been exalted if he had committed adultery with Potiphar's wife, or even if he didn't, if he didn't have a good attitude in jail and didn't help the chief butler with his dream he would never have been exalted either. Joseph did his best where he was and helped where he could and stayed close to God and he received his reward. And notice he didn't receive it after one year or even two years of being faithful, but after thirteen years of doing the best he could! Remember that when you get tired of waiting or tired of doing good. Keep on going, God sees what you are doing and will reward you when the time is right. He knows what is best for you and will always do that.

In the meantime, be patient, be kind, do good and keep your responsibility. God will bless you.

Father thank you that our lives are within Your hands. You are faithful and true and we love You for that. Thank you that we can rest assured that You know best. In all situations and in all things. Amen

Last time we learned that God's timing is the best. At exactly the right time He would lead us and help us through situations. He would open doors when it needs to be opened and close doors when it needs to be closed. He sees the bigger picture and knows what is best for us, when we try to force things to happen earlier than it should, we make trouble for ourselves. We should never do that, but rather wait on God for His perfect timing.

And what a better example than Joseph. Okay, fair enough, he was forced to wait for his moment to come because he was in jail. BUT he had a good attitude while waiting. He did his best in jail and worked there as a supervisor. And as we saw, the moment that he came out of jail, he gave God the glory for interpreting the dreams. He didn't squirm away from God and pretend that he could do it all by himself, no, he gave all glory to God, even though he knew that Pharaoh was seen as a 'god' himself. And what was also amazing to see is that after Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams, Joseph didn't ask for time to receive the interpretation from God. He didn't go away on his own and consult God first. He lived so close to Him and had His Spirit guiding him, so he didn't need to do that, God's Spirit just flowed mightily and he could give the interpretation as well as the solution instantly. God flowed so greatly through him, that even Pharaoh saw that God was with Joseph:

"And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" Genesis 41:38

I don't think we realize what a huge compliment this was. Especially coming from Pharaoh who himself was considered to be a god. He saw God in Joseph and I do not think there is a bigger compliment that anyone can give to someone.

We should also live so close to God that people can see Him in us. This doesn't just happen. Just like exercising our physical muscles, we must exercise our spiritual muscles. And just as we cannot expect to pick up several kilograms of weights in our first week of training, we cannot expect to just flow with God's Spirit like Joseph did after spending two mornings in a row with God. It just doesn't work that way. We need to be consistent and develop our relationship with God. We need to get to know Him and His heart for us as well as for others. The closer we get to Him, the more we will flow in His principles and spread that to other people.

God wants us so close to Him, that we can give advice to others in a moment's notice, and it would be God inspired advice. That is God's plan and will for all of us. He wants us to be true representatives of Him, speaking to others what He would have spoken to them. We should follow Joseph's example. Even though he went through some very tough times, he stuck close to God and it paid off. People could SEE God in him and that has made all the difference. And it would make all the difference in your life too.

I know we are all busy and do not have the time to spend God. But as Joyce Meyer said the other day, we always find time for what is important to us. If our bodies are important to us we find time to exercise, if our children are important to us we find time to spend with them, if our friends are important to us we make sure we keep in contact, if our sports are important to us we make time to watch it. So, is spending time with God important to you? Is it important to you to be filled with His Spirit to overflowing? If it is, you WILL make the time. It is your choice. Everyone gets 24 hours a day, what are you going to do with it?

Father we want to overflow with Your Spirit just like Joseph did. We want people to see You in our lives. We want to be filled with more and more of You. Thank you for always making time for us. We love You. Amen

This Easter I would like to share something out of my book "The Four Horses". When I prayed over this year's Easter message this is what came up for me:

God ordained that Israel camp in a specific formation in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. The Tabernacle of God was in the middle of the camp. To the east of the Tabernacle camped Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun-in total they were 186,400 (Numbers 2:9). To the south camped Reuben, Simeon, and Gad-in total they were 151,450 (Numbers 2:16). To the west camped Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin-in total they were 108,100 (Numbers 2:24). To the north camped Dan, Asher, and Naphtali-in total they were 157,600 (Numbers 2:31). Now, what is very interesting to note is that if we were to draw these numbers according to scale, the way they camped formed a cross! Isn't it amazing! To the east were many more people than to the west, and the north and the south were almost equal, actually forming a cross with the longest ax towards the east. And when they camped all the people looked inward towards the Tabernacle, which is a picture of Jesus and what He came to do for us at the cross.

So, Israel was in fact already living in the reality of Jesus being sacrificed for them, and therefore they were protected. And not only that, Jesus's heart of love for them was in the center in the form of the Tabernacle. He was encamped with them, and therefore no evil could befall them! Did you know that Israel was never attacked and beaten while they camped this way in the wilderness? It is certainly something to ponder and to learn from. While God was in the center of them as a nation, they were unbeatable.

Also, it is worthy to note that the long bar of the cross (or where Jesus's feet would be) faced east. Why? Well, the Lord wanted them to focus on where the sun was rising; symbolizing that He is the Light of the world. He was the One who would bring light in their darkness. He wanted them to renew their commitment to Him every day as the sun rose to bring in a new day. For in His light, they could see light (Psalm 36:9); in other words, they could see the path laid out for them, the way to go. It was also prophetic of what was to come. The Temple of God, later built by Solomon, also faced eastward (Ezekiel 11:1), and when God later departed from the Temple due to the nation's disobedience, He departed from the threshold, thus in an easterly direction (Ezekiel 10:18). The glory of the Lord therefore left the city on the east side (Ezekiel 11:23). But when Jesus comes back again, His feet will land on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east (Zechariah 14:4). Thus, He will come back again from the east! This is also stated in Ezekiel 43:1-5. So, Jesus's feet at the cross symbolically faced east, and when He comes back again, His feet will touch on the east side of Jerusalem. Isn't God's Word just accurate? Also interesting to note, Judah was camped at the east side, and Jesus came from the tribe of Judah.

Okay, so now we know that they camped in the form of a cross, three tribes on each side of the cross. Now, of each group of tribes there was a "leader" tribe of the three. On the east it was Judah, on the south it was Reuben, on the west it was Ephraim, and on the north it was Dan. Each tribe also had their own banner/symbol presented on their flag.

The flag of Judah had the symbol of a lion. The lion was given to them because Jacob compared Judah to a "lion's whelp" when he prophesied over him before he died (Genesis 49:9).

The flag of Reuben had the symbol of a man's face. The man's face was associated with Reuben because he was the firstborn, the head of the family.

The flag of Ephraim had the symbol of an ox. The ox was used because it was through the vision of the calves/oxen that Joseph predicted the famine and provided for them all in Egypt through God's grace. Also, when Moses prophesied over Joseph (in effect his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh), he said:

"His glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of the wild ox" (Deuteronomy 33:17).

Therefore, an ox was used as the symbol.

The flag of Dan had the symbol of an eagle. The eagle was used because when Jacob prophesied about Dan he said:

"Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path" (Genesis 49:17).

Jacob compared Dan to a serpent. But according to rabbinical tradition, Dan didn't want a snake as his symbol, so they substituted the snake with an eagle, the destroyer of serpents.

Now for Easter 2022, I would like us to see Jesus through these four symbols and experience Him through it. These four symbols truly depict Jesus' character. I do not have time to explain it here, it is in my book, but in short.

First of all, Jesus is the Lion of Judah. He is the conqueror, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We should see Him as that in our lives. We should not be afraid or worried about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication give all our wants over to Him. He is mighty and will be able to handle all situations for us. He is the One we can truly trust and give over to.  (Jesus is depicted as King in the Gospel of Matthew.)

Secondly He is a man. He came to earth as a man just like us, flesh and blood. He felt and experienced all the heartache and pain that we do. In fact He experienced a lot more with His gruesome death. So He truly understands our trials and tribulations. He understands what we are going through and we can therefore come to Him with reassurance that He will give us the best advice and that He will comfort and care for us. (Jesus is depicted as the Son of man in the Gospel of Luke.)

Thirdly He is an ox. Hard-working, always serving everyone, always having time for everyone. He is tender and soft, and yet tough like an ox, no pushover as the Pharisees realized. We can therefore be rest-assured that He is our Advocate at the right hand of God, always working on our behalf and looking out for us. He never sleeps and slumbers and we can always call out to Him for help. We must also follow His example and be a servant for Him here on earth. (Jesus is depicted as a hard-working Servant in the Gospel of Mark)

And fourthly He is an eagle. He is the Son of God, flying high above it all, with a bird's eye view of everything that is going on in our lives. He is Divine and He knows best. We can therefore trust His guidance and help and ask Him for it on a regular basis. He can see far ahead and we can therefore follow His Voice and know that it will be the best pathway for our lives. (Jesus is depicted as the Son of God in the Gospel of John.)

Ponder these four 'faces' of Jesus, I am sure Holy Spirit will show you even more this Easter. May you rest in His love and be at peace knowing that the King of kings, the Servant of all, the Divine Son of God, the man who understands is with you every step of the way.

Thank you Father for Your amazing grace and mercy. We love the wonderful nuggets of truth that You reveal in Your Word for us to enjoy. Thank you for teaching us about Jesus and unveiling more and more of Him to us. Therein lies all the secrets of this life. We love You and we rejoice in all that Jesus has done for us. We would have been lost without Him. Thank you Jesus, we glorify You Father and we walk this life with You Holy Spirit. Amen

Last week we learned that God still speaks through dreams with us. He speaks to us in various ways, but dreams are one of the ways that He does. Once you dream something that you vividly remember in detail, spend some time with God and ask Him for the interpretation or to send someone who can interpret the dream for you.

God sent Joseph to interpret Pharaoh's dream. And He sent Joseph right on time, so that the Egyptians can start making the right preparations for what lies ahead:

"And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass." Genesis 41:32

These seven years of prosperity, followed by seven years of famine was established by God and was about to unfold. God sent Joseph at just the right time and He gave him the wisdom and knowhow to handle these coming events.

The same is true of us today. God will send the right thing at the right time in our lives and when He establishes it, He will lead us and help us through it. Many times we wait years for certain things to happen. God has given promises to me that hasn't come to pass, and it has been years, but I know that I know, once the timing is right and God establishes it to be so, nothing and no one will stand in His way.

The problem is the waiting part. It is so difficult for us to wait for something, and in our fast foods era it becomes increasingly difficult. We want things to happen and we want it to happen now. Unfortunately for us, God doesn't work that way. He knows the perfect timing and He knows when everything will work out perfectly for us. Not a day before. It is very difficult, I know, but one thing that I have learned throughout the years as well as by studying the Bible, if you try and force something to happen before the appointed time, you saddle yourself up with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Things won't work out as you would want it to, everything will be a struggle and difficult to do. You will also encounter a lot of heartache and pain that was better left behind. People, who force things to happen out of its timing, are usually so frustrated and angry with themselves that they did. They realize too late that the waiting room actually looked very attractive to them now. Do not make the same mistake.

Wait patiently for God's perfect timing. He knows what is best for you and exactly when it is best for you and not only you, but those around you. Remember always, it is not only about you, but about all the people in His Kingdom. God views everything in a totally different light than we do, He looks at the bigger picture and He has a plan for all and He knows where everything will slot in. All glory to Him!! We simply need to trust and believe. We must pray, do what we can do, and leave the rest to Him. We must do our responsibility and what God has placed on our plates for the day and then we must give over and wait for Him to lead us. He knows best! The wait will be worth it, over and over again. For then things will work out as it should and you will definitely reap the benefits.

Just to end off - A Whatsapp image of a friend of mine:

Everything comes to you in the right moment, be patient, be grateful.

Thank you Father that our lives are within Your hands. We trust You with it. Help us to wait with a good attitude. You know best. Amen

Last week Joseph showed us how close his walk was with God. He walked so close to God that he was not only confident that God will interpret Pharaoh's dream, but that He will also give a favorable answer to Pharaoh. Joseph didn't hesitate in declaring his faith in his Almighty God. He didn't care what Pharaoh thought or did, he was focused on God and on declaring His power in revealing the answers to Pharaoh's dreams. It truly is amazing to witness how bold Joseph was. Despite being in the presence of royalty after being in prison for years, Joseph spoke with a wonderful boldness and with confidence.

Pharaoh then started to tell Joseph what his dreams were. Firstly he dreamt of seven ugly cows that came out of the river and ate up seven beautifully fat cows. Then he dreamt of seven thin and blighted wheat heads that came up and devoured seven full and good wheat heads. These two dreams upset Pharaoh greatly. Pharaoh instinctively knew that these two dreams were important and that it must be interpreted. I am certain that Pharaoh must have had dreams before, but these two rocked him to his core.

Today I also believe that God can speak to us through dreams. There are a number of examples of how God spoke to people through dreams in the Bible. And I believe that it is true of us today as well. After all God said:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophecy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams." Acts 2:17

We are certainly living in the last days and I truly believe that God speaks through dreams and visions today more than ever. However we should be careful. Not ALL dreams are from God. Dreams can come from many sources. It is our subconscious talking to us and processing things of the day, or things that we have been thinking about a lot. So not all dreams should be taken as if it is from God. But when it is from God, you will simply KNOW! Either the dream will be repeated (this has happened to me before), or the dream is so vivid you cannot get it out of your head, or you truly KNOW that this is a dream from God. It will be a deep knowing, as it was with Pharaoh.

Now the 'difficult' part comes. What does this dream mean? How do I really know what God is saying to me? Well, I bought a book - Hearing God: Dream Dictionary by Martin van der Merwe. This book will tell you if you dream for instance of a lion - this is what it possibly could mean. If you dream of a rainbow, it could possibly mean this. It is helpful and gives guidance, but it doesn't interpret the dream. What you need to do is to sit still with God and present the dream to Him. He will help you to interpret it. He certainly will. This has happened to me before that I get anxious about a dream and do not know what it means even after consulting the Dream Dictionary book, and then I go and sit with God. And before long God gives me the interpretation in my heart and I instantly know what it means. He will help you understand. You must just make the time; His Spirit will reveal all things to you. He won't give you a dream without the interpretation. He simply wants you to make the time to come to Him and show Him reference that you truly want to have His interpretation. God loves to speak to His children. Simply make the time.

Next time when you have a dream that you know is from God, then go and spend time with Him. He would welcome you in and share with you His deep secrets. He wants to and longs for special time spent with you.

Father, thank you for speaking to us. Either through dreams, visions, Your Word, through other people, through Your Spirit etc. We love hearing from You. Please speak clearly so that we can hear exactly what You have on Your heart for us. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen

Last week we discussed how brave Joseph was. He was summoned out of prison to come and interpret Pharaoh's dream. This was his chance to be free and to make a good impression. Pharaoh had the power to send him back to prison or to even execute him if he didn't please him. So Joseph was put on the spot. And even though he knew that the Egyptians worshipped a lot of gods, his first words to Pharaoh gave glory to Elohim, the Creator God:

"It is not in me; Elohim will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Genesis 41:16.

Pharaoh could easily have been offended by Joseph giving honor to Elohim, the true Creator God. He could have had Joseph removed from his sight. But because Joseph was faithful to God, God gave him favor with Pharaoh.

Now just one other interesting thing to note is that Joseph didn't say to Pharaoh: "I will ask God and hear what He says about your dream." Or "Hopefully God will help me to interpret the dream." No, he was confident that God would show him. He knew God's heart and he knew that He would help him. And another thing that he knew about God is that God would give Pharaoh a good answer. He knew God is a good God and gives dreams to help.

Joseph was so confident he told Pharaoh not only will God tell him what his dream meant, it will also be an answer of peace. Peace here is the Hebrew word 'Shalom'. Shalom has many meanings. Other than peace, it also means safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity and contentment. The New American Standard Bible translates it as:

"It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."

A favorable answer. In other words Joseph was in fact telling Pharaoh: "Don't worry, my God will interpret your dream and it will be favorable to you."

This is just wow to me, as it shows Joseph's absolute trust in God. Despite being innocently in jail for years on end, this shows that he wasn't angry with God and that he still trusted Him to help him and to give Pharaoh a favorable answer. It also shows that he had such a close relationship with God that he could say with confidence what God wanted to reveal to Pharaoh. At this stage Holy Spirit hasn't been poured out on all flesh, so it is astounding to me how Joseph simply knew what God wanted to say to Pharaoh. He must have been truly close to God.

May we all live a relationship with God like that. May we walk so close to Him, spend so much time with Him, that when someone asks us advice, then we can confidently say what God wants to do in their lives. We and God must be so close, that our voices will be as one. That we only speak His will over people's lives. We shouldn't even hesitate but be confident that we are walking the walk with Him.

Also we should learn from Joseph and not become bitter with God. One can easily become bitter. Joseph spent several years in jail for something he didn't do. He could have been so angry with God, especially for leaving him so long in jail. And yet, the first thing he did when he came out was to glorify God. We should also be like that and trust God's timing. We shouldn't become bitter towards Him and blame Him for certain situations in our lives. It is so easy to do. But we must realize that God will never allow anything in our lives that is not necessary for our growth. He will always assist us and help us and exalt us at exactly the right time. All glory to Him!

Father we give You glory and honor! You are our God and King. We want to walk this earthly life close with You. Speak clearly to us so that we can help others and lead them closer to You. Amen

Last week we saw how Joseph helped the chief butler and the chief baker of Pharaoh to interpret their dreams. The interpretation was spot on and happened exactly the way that Joseph predicted that it would. Joseph kindly asked the chief butler to remember him when he is restored to his position and that he would help him. But this didn't happen. Once the chief butler was restored to his position, he forgot all about Joseph. This must have been a hard pill to swallow for Joseph. He must have hoped that the chief butler would remember his kindness to him and help him out of prison.

Two years later his wish came to pass. This time the Pharaoh had a dream which no one could interpret. It was then that the chief butler remembered Joseph:

"I remember my faults this day. When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, we each had a dream one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office and he hanged him." Genesis 41:9-13

Fortunately for Joseph the chief butler finally spoke up and admitted his fault of not telling the Pharaoh about Joseph sooner. Pharaoh didn't waste any time in summoning Joseph. Joseph was brought quickly out of the dungeon, they shaved him and gave him a change of clothing and presented him to the Pharaoh.

Can you just imagine how Joseph must have felt? He was in prison for years and in an instant he was brought from the lowest of low to meet the most powerful man in all the land, arguably the most powerful man in the world. He was used to little sunlight, trying to survive in a dungeon, and suddenly he was brought into the palace surrounded by riches and glory. And once again, when he was presented to Pharaoh he gave all glory to God.

"And Joseph answered  Pharaoh, saying: "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Genesis 41:16

Isn't it a beautiful answer? By that time Joseph knew that the Egyptians served many gods and they also viewed Pharaoh as a god himself. So it took a lot of guts for Joseph to say that his God, not the god of the Egyptians is the only One able to give an interpretation. He referred to God as Elohim. Elohim is the Name of God used when He created the Heavens and the earth. Joseph therefore said in fact that the Creator of the Universe will give the interpretation to Pharaoh. He had a lot of guts to say that, because the Egyptians believed in many gods, like Ra, the sun god, and Sobek, the Egyptian crocodile god of the Nile river etc. So Joseph was bypassing them all and saying that the true Creator God will give the interpretation.

Now Joseph had been waiting for years to come out of prison. And one wrong word could send him back or even have him executed. He had to tread very carefully, especially in the presence of Pharaoh. So it wasn't easy for him to say what he said, but he did. And his courage showed us just how amazing person he was. He stood up for God even if it could have cost him his life. His first words when he was out of prison, was words of glory to God.

We should learn from him and give honor to God even if it might be the unpopular thing to do. We must always give glory and honor to God in all circumstances. We should never take the honor for ourselves, for then it will be the only reward that we will ever get. We must rather walk in sync with God and say only what He wants us to say. We should never be afraid of what others might think or do to us. They do not determine our future, God does. All glory to Him!

Father help us, give us the courage to always and in all circumstances speak up for You. Help us to stand up for You and be strong no matter what. You deserve all the honor and praise! We are nothing without You, all that we are is because of You. We love You. Amen

Last week we saw how Joseph cared about the people in prison. He saw that the baker and the butler were down and he cared enough to ask them why they were sad. If he never asked them, he would never have lived out his destiny. We then saw how crucial small caring moments in our lives could be. And in those moments we must glorify God, He must get all the honor and praise. Joseph didn't pretend that he could interpret dreams, no he immediately gave all honor to God and proclaimed that only He can. Joseph was truly a man after God's own heart.

The chief baker and the chief butler then continued to tell their dreams to Joseph. The chief butler started as the chief baker was too scared to share his dream with Joseph. Joseph then interpreted his dream to mean that within three days he will be reinstated in his position as chief butler. Joseph then humbly asked the chief butler:

"But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon." Genesis 40:14, 15

Joseph had been truly nice to the chief butler and his only request to him was that he remembers him and helps him to get out of jail.

Now the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the chief butler was good, so he told his dream as well. Unfortunately the revelation of his weren't that great. Joseph told him that he will be hanged by Pharaoh in three days.

These two dreams happened exactly as Joseph told them. In three days the chief butler was reinstated, but the chief baker was hanged. Unfortunately for Joseph the chief butler forgot all about Joseph. This must have been devastating for Joseph. He must have waited and waited for the chief butler to come and help him. But after a couple of months I think he must have lost hope that the chief butler will ever come to help him. At the end of the day as we will see in the Bible it was after two long years that the chief butler finally remembered him.

We might also feel that way. You might have helped a friend that promised that they will help you at another time and they never did. You might have given someone advice that provided them the promotion and they promised that they will never forget you, but they did. You might have helped so many people in so many different ways and when you feel that you need someone, everyone is missing. It sucks, I know. And I can just imagine how much it must have sucked for Joseph, especially because he had no way out. He was stuck in that terrible prison.

BUT GOD. God didn't leave him and God didn't forsake him. At precisely the right time He reminded the chief butler of Joseph. At exactly the right moment, Joseph was taken out of prison and exalted higher than he could ever dream possible. He simply had to keep a good attitude while waiting and trusting God.

The same can be said of us. When we truly need help and when we need to be exalted into higher positions in life, God will be there to do it for us. We needn't trust in people. They will forsake us and leave us. They will not help us. But God will. He will send the right people at precisely the right time. He won't be a moment too soon or a moment too late. He will be just in time to help us, hallelujah!

We can be rest assured if we stay close to God and follow Him in all that He does that everything will work out for our good and for our benefit. We can trust in Him.

Thank you Father for always looking out for us. Thank you for being with us every single minute of every single day. We trust You to help us at precisely the right moment. Our lives are in Your hands! We glorify You and exalt You on high. Amen

Last week we saw that God left Joseph in prison for a couple of years before He released him for the calling that God had on his life. We saw that there were many reasons why Joseph had to stay in the prison for a while, reasons that he didn't understand at the moment. But God knew why and He wanted the timing to be perfect when Joseph was released. In the meantime God however blessed Joseph in the prison. We saw that God works the same way with us too. He knows why we need to stay in 'prison situations' longer than what we deem necessary. He sees the bigger picture. Fortunately we can rest assured that He knows best and that He will lead and guide us in the present situation that we are in.

Now while Joseph was in prison the chief baker and chief butler offended the Pharaoh. He was so angry with them that he threw both of them in prison. 'By accident' in the same prison that Joseph were in.

"And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while." Genesis 40:4

Not only were they in the same prison as Joseph, but God orchestrated that they had contact with one another. Then one night both the chief butler and the chief baker had a dream. These dreams upset them. It upset them so much that Joseph saw that they were down and asked them why.

"Why do you look so sad today?" And they said to him, "We each have had a dream and there is no interpreter of it." Genesis 40:7, 8

It is actually amazing that Joseph saw that they were sad and that he cared enough to ask them about it. Who cares about prisoners? Whoever asked about their well fare, especially in those days? I know prisoners today have more rights, but back then they had no rights. And yet Joseph cared about them and asked about their problems. Joseph could have had an attitude and focused only on his own problems. He could have reasoned that God had abandoned him and didn't care for him, so why should he care for others? But Joseph's reaction showed us his caring heart. He truly cared for other people and decided to help them even though he himself wasn't experiencing the best time of his life. Can you imagine if Joseph didn't ask them why they were sad? If he didn't ask them, they wouldn't have told him, he wouldn't have interpreted their dreams and the butler wouldn't have told Pharaoh about him. This one small act of kindness put into motion the future of Joseph. If he didn't care about them he would most probably have been in prison for the rest of his life. How sad that would have been!

Once he showed that he cared and heard their problem he immediately gave glory to God:

"Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me please." Genesis 40:8

He didn't tell them that he could interpret dreams and help them, no; he pointed them towards God, the only One who could truly help.

We can certainly learn so much from Joseph. He wasn't wallowing in his own predicament, so self-absorbed that he didn't have time for anyone else. No, he reached out, cared and helped where he could. It is truly a wonderful example to follow. I know when we feel down and when we feel as if life has dealt us with a nasty blow, the last thing we want to do is to help others. In fact we might be feeling that other people should be helping us! Not the other way around. And yet in those moments it might be just the thing for you to do. There is rarely anything in life that is so uplifting than helping someone else. It is not what one wants to hear when you are down in the dumps, but it is the truth. I know you might feel that someone must rather notice the situation you are in and come and help you. But I promise you that God's plan for you is that you help someone else, even in your time of need. Who knows, that someone might just be your key to your breakthrough!

In your pain and suffering look towards others, be a sympathetic ear to listen, draw them closer to God, reach out and help them as far as you can. Your breakthrough might be just around the corner. And if your time hasn't come for that yet, I promise you that God is smiling down on you for helping others in need. That is His heart of love, always helping, always caring. And if you walk in that you will be closer to Him than ever before. What could be better than that?

Father please help me to take my eyes off from myself and focused on You. Bring those on my path that I can help and influence for You. I want to make a difference while I am here on earth. I love You. Amen