God Prepares His People

H – Highlight

Genesis 40:8 – They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

E – explain

The context here is with Joseph in Egypt because his brothers sold him. He is in prison because of a lie. And now he meets men connected to the Pharaoh. Both men had dreams, and Joseph, by the grace of God, will be able to tell them what these prophetic dreams mean.

A – Apply

Early on, Joseph found himself offending his dad and his brothers because of the dreams that he told them. Now, years later, Joseph is in a place to hear and interpret dreams by a gift that God has given him. This tells me that, though Joseph’s life is hard, God has used Joseph’s experiences to prepare him for the moment he faces.

There are many joys and pains that we will face as followers of the Lord. And there is no way that we can know, when we face these things, how God will use those things in the future. We may presently be able to see how God has prepared us. Or, we may never understand this side of heaven. But we should see from Joseph’s experiences that God is in control and that he uses all sorts of things in our lives to shape us into what he wants us to be for his glory and for the growth of his kingdom.

R – Respond

Lord, I see in Joseph’s experience that you truly use all things in our lives, things we love and things we regret, to accomplish your ultimate will. I pray that you will help me to remember this as I look back on things in my life I regret. I pray that you will help me remember this when I recall things that have happened to me that I do not like. Please, Lord, in this text, help me be comforted as I trust you and your perfect will, a will that I cannot fully understand this side of heaven.