Waiting on God, conclusion

I found that picture online; those are the tools of a scribe. The tools of his trade -- these were what Joseph would have used as the lead scribe at the prison.

It would have been easy for him to have lost hope.
It must have seemed sometimes like this was forever.
Like nothing would ever change.
But apparently, Joseph didn't feel that way.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. (Genesis 39:20b-23)

We noted yesterday that Joseph was faithful to his God and to his duties; he worked heartily, and the Lord was with him. The Lord caused him to have favor in the eyes of the warden. (Truly, God can work in our lives, too, if we are faithful and enthusiastic about our tasks.) For Joseph, this might have meant the best cut of meat, or an extra slice of bread on a long day. It may have meant cleaner, fresher surroundings, or more natural light in his quarters.
Remember, there was someone else who didn't have to pay attention to (or stress over) the day-to-day responsibilities, because Joseph stepped up and handled things? Yup, Potiphar trusted Joseph, and the warden did, too. God gave Joseph success in "whatever he did."

Joseph didn't know what his future held. We don't know about our own futures. But we have a Friend Who knows.
In years past, we traveled many times to the coastal city of Charleston, and admired the many beautiful old buildings and homes. We walked through houses of worship, and walked the tiny pathways through the cemeteries behind them. On almost any gravestone, you will see the date of the person's birth, and then the date of their death. Present-day stones put it this way: 1915 - 2009. A dash represents everything in between birth and death. What are we doing with the "dash"? How are we filling that time?
The fact that our death is coming can make us timid, or it can make us bold. Are we willing to settle for timidity? Are we OK with not doing our best?
Joseph didn't settle. He told the cupbearer, "Remember me!"
He was faithful in prison, but he was bold and ready to get out when God would make it happen.

What's at the end of this chapter?

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. (Genesis 40:23)

Boo.
That's a bummer.
But it happens all the time in life.
We humans make promises we don't keep. We think we will. We intend to stay in touch with someone, but we don't. We plan to call or visit a friend, but we don't.
Imagine how this could have affected Joseph.... what if the cupbearer never remembers? What if I never get to clear my name and get out of here?
Sometimes as believers, we let the "what ifs virus" affect us: what if the church splits? What if the chemo doesn't work? What if I lose my job? What if my child doesn't come back to the Lord?

The what ifs don't have to incapacitate us. We have a God that is big enough to handle all of these and more. But we do have to remember that God doesn't keep time the way that we do.

Before the mountains were born    or you brought forth the whole world,    from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:2)

God doesn't have deadlines. He doesn't have to keep to a schedule. He is never late. And he does things when He purposes. Even though the cupbearer forgot, God didn't.

When we are waiting on God, we need to remember as Joseph did, that our Redeemer is on the way. He's just not necessarily working on our schedule!

But perhaps we need to spend some time in introspection.... are we willing to wait on God? Do we rush to attempt things in our own strength? Do we chafe at what we perceive as delays?
Our study this week is ending right where it started: Joseph is still in prison.
Is his story over?
Nope.
Stay tuned, cos next week he's going to meet the most powerful man in the world at that time!