From The Bottom to the Top

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. Genesis 39:20-21

When Potiphar’s wife cried rape, her husband believed her and had Joseph thrown into prison. Some of us would have said, ‘It’s not fair. I did the right thing. Maybe I should have had some fun, kept my job, and even gotten a promotion.’ Not Joseph! At that point in his life there was no better place for him to be, because he was exactly where God wanted him. It was in prison that he met the royal butler, who in turn introduced him to Pharaoh, who eventually placed him on the throne. Sometimes God takes us to the bottom in order to take us to the top. The hard part is remembering that when you hit the bottom it’s not the end of the trip. The Bible says of Joseph: ‘Until his word…came true… the word of the Lord tried…him’ (Psalm 105:19). Pharaoh was about to have a dream nobody in his kingdom could interpret except Joseph. And as a result Joseph was about to go from a zero to a hero, from prison stripes to Pharaoh’s second in command. No one can perform that kind of miracle but God. If most of us were in jail we’d settle for early release, a suit of clothes, and a hundred dollars to get back home. But God had something much better in mind for Joseph. And He has for you too! He knows where He’s taking you. He knows the lessons you need to learn along the way so that when you get there you can do the job. So look for God’s hand in your situation today.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, as painful as it may be at the time, thank You for taking me to the bottom at times so that You can teach me and raise me up. In Jesus’ Name, Amen