Faithful in all Circumstances

In the love and sovereignty of God, His desire is that we trust Him to lead us through our journey of spiritual development.  The challenge we tend to have as believers is we expect spiritual development to mirror Amazon, the results should be immediate without any inconvenience or testing of ourselves.  The truth is, the time required for the building up of our souls and spirits could be weeks, months or even years depending on the circumstance

Picture by Tonya Woods

and the condition and receptivity of our hearts to God’s instruction for our lives.  God is ultimately in control, but as believers we too have a role to play in our spiritual development.  Psalm 8: 6 reminds us, “You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,”.  What a testimony, we have dominion and through sanctification, we have a responsibility of obedience and ministry within God’s will for our lives. 

In this recollection, it brings me to the story of Joseph in the Bible.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers when he was 17 years old and he was not miraculously promoted to Prime Minister of Egypt until he was 30.  That is 13 years Joseph had to look to a future of no hope not ever knowing he would be let out of prison.  We can read the story of Joseph’s life and know in the end he is not only let out of prison but raised up to the level of Prime Minister of Egypt.  But for Joseph during his time in prison there would not have been that revelation of promotion.  His view at the time would have been more of a focus on serving others and watching as other prisoners came and went.

Within Genesis 40, two of those prisoners that came and went were the Pharaoh’s baker and butler.  They angered the Pharaoh, and he placed them within the custody of the captain of the guard where they were assigned under Joseph. After some time, they both had a dream the same night and the LORD through Joseph interpreted those dreams.  The interpretation was that the baker would be beheaded, and the butler restored to his position of prominence.  Upon Joseph’s interpretation of the butler’s dream, Joseph asked the butler that he remember him and ask Pharaoh that he too be released from prison.  After three days, the butler was restored back to his original position of prominence in serving Pharaoh and the baker was beheaded.   In the end, the Bible says rather than the butler remembering Joseph and his interpretation of the dream and kindness and obedience in caring for him during his imprisonment, the butler forgot about Joseph. 

It is during these times that God calls us to be faithful.  When we can’t see a way out or our lives are filled with circumstances that in our minds do not align with where our hearts desire to be, we are called to keep on serving, keep on praying and keep on studying God’s Word.  It is in our faithfulness that God shows up in wondrous ways.  Two years after the butler had been let out of prison, Pharaoh had two dreams; one dream of 7 fat cows and 7 ugly and gaunt cows and a second dream of 7 full healthy heads of grain and 7 thin and scorched heads of grain.  After the Pharoah’s magicians could not interpret the dreams, the butler remembered Joseph and he was called to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh.  God through Joseph relayed to the Pharaoh that the land of Egypt would have 7 bountiful years followed by 7 years of famine and that the Pharaoh should store up a fifth of all the grain harvested in the 7 abundant years to be used during the 7 years of famine.  Pharaoh agreed with the interpretation and appointed Joseph to carry out what was brought forth from the LORD by appointing him to Prime Minister of Egypt.

From there Joseph’s mind and spirit were put at Peace from the turmoil of the flesh which is evidenced by the naming of his first son.  As part of the promotion to Prime Minister, Pharaoh arranged for Joseph to marry Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On.  Joseph had two sons from this marriage and the first born he named Manasseh, “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” (Genesis 41:51). I find this interesting as it makes me contemplate that even when Joseph remained faithful to God and obedient in ministry throughout his slavery, he had inner turmoil and remorse due to his mistreatment by his family, Potiphar’s wife and the various circumstances while in prison. 

Joseph’s turmoil during his time of faithfulness can be relatable to all of us at some time or another in our lives.  We have all experienced moments in our lives where our focus upon self has caused offense, pride or anger to build up driving a wedge between the love of God and ourselves making our liberation from this turmoil seem far away and distant.  It is during these times when unforgiveness is allowed to build a stronghold around our hearts creating a void where God’s Word is not heard and isolation and loneliness can take hold of your soul. 

Through these spiritual struggles a couple of verses come to mind, the first being Ephesians 6:7, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,”.  Even in times when we can not hear God’s Word or may feel isolated, we are called to serve through obedience overcoming the flesh and faithfully committing to the ministry of God’s love for all mankind.  As believers we are called to raise the bar, be the difference and serve not in accordance to how we feel or are being treated, but instead to serve in accordance to how Jesus was obedient and served while He walked this earth.  Not only loving our neighbors and the ones who love us, but also loving and praying for our enemies.  It is easy to feed those in need and are receptive and thankful, but Jesus tells us to give bread to our enemies.  God’s Word is very clear that we are called to a higher standard, a standard that exemplifies God’s glory and His love through the sending of His Son as atonement for our sins and the offer of the free gift of salvation and eternal life.  As human beings, if we do not live in Christ and remain in His Word, we can be lost in the mire of this world and lose our inner Peace that is only available through our relationship with Jesus within the presence of Holy Spirit. 

The second verse to keep at the forefront of your mind during spiritual anguish is Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort me.”  We can only find the rest and Peace of Jesus when we remain in obedience to God’s Word, no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in.  We should also consider those times of seclusion as a test of our hearts and souls while God elevates and moves us from one spiritual level to the next.  We find this justification within Job 23 where it outlines that even though God is not apparent, He is there, bringing us through our current circumstance.  Job 23:10 states, “When He is at work in the north; I do not see Him; when He turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him.  But He knows what way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”  Within this verse God knows the way we take as He tests each of us, bringing us forth as gold that has been purified through fire.  I find this verse not only relatable to Joseph, but each of us as we continue to move forward through life leaning closer into Jesus as the trials seem to be getting tougher with less time between each of them to catch our breath.  The more obedient we are to God’s will for our lives the more trials seem to be prevalent bringing opportunity for God’s glory to be brought forth giving all honor and praise to the One true God.  The One that loves us unconditionally, through all circumstances bringing wholeness and wellbeing to each of as we overcome any adversity. 

The last point I would like us to study out is what was mentioned in the beginning of Job 23:10, “When He is at work in the north, I do not see Him; when He turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him.”  Just because we do not see or hear from God, does not mean He is not at work, turning what was meant for evil into good and bringing forth His good and perfect will.  Within the David Jeremiah Study Bible, Dr. Jeremiah lays out a few “Behind the Scenes” details of God at work in Joseph’s life for him to be elevated to Prime Minister. 

1.      Potiphar’s wife had to wrongly accuse Joseph.

2.      Joseph had to be imprisoned.

3.      The keeper of the prison had to favor Joseph.

4.      Joseph had to be given free range in prison.

5.      Pharaoh’s butler and baker had to be thrown in the same prison.

6.      Joseph had to meet them and allow God to interpret their dreams.

7.      The butler had to remember Joseph 2 years later.

8.      The butler had to be present when Pharaoh’s dreams went uninterpreted.

9.      Pharaoh had to be willing to listen to a prisoner.

10.  Joseph had to receive the interpretation from God.

All of these circumstances had to be orchestrated for Joseph to be in the right location at the right time with all opportunities aligning to move him into the second most powerful position on this earth.  All of this was made whole because God’s Word is True and perfect.  Joseph articulates it so distinctly when he relays in Genesis 50:20, “But as for you, you meant it for evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”  Even though it may not be evident or we may not be able to hear His Word at times, God is at work bringing forth His sovereign will to those in obedience and service to His commands as outlined within the Bible.  When we do our part in love and service, God will bring forth the blessing.  Matthew 6:38 outlines it like this, “Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Many people relate this only to finances but in actuality it relates to all areas of your life; your time, your energy, your ministry, whatever it is.  If you give, it will be given back to you in abundance.  I encourage you, go and give of your ministry in obedience to God’s Word and with a joyful heart.  God is sovereign and He will bring us forth if we are obedient to His commands.

Shalom!!