Genesis 39:21-23
But The Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. And the chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because The Lord was with him; and whatever he did, The Lord made to prosper.
When we discussed Joseph last, he was in the darkest valley. The most powerful person in his world was angry at him and punished him. One verse later, God gives hope. While teaching one lesson of great difficulty, God brings comfort another way. Now it could be that a period of time was represented between the verses. It could have been a year, or so.
This reminds me of 1999. We had all sorts of issues. Bev was sick, Rebekah had surgery, Grandma Chick’s dimensia started, Poppy had health issues, etc. It was an allegorical storm. But God brought us to an oasis. The Lakewood home and the baptist church were wonderful. The couples group took us in and they made us feel welcomed and loved. Another area was my job, Ensign. I was granted more favor than I would ever know. I had great classes, a supportive boss, coworkers that were friendly and reached out to me, great students and parents. While at home, we had to manage illness and emotions, everywhere else was very nurturing. This was God. We didn’t manufacture any of it.
I feel like it could’ve been titled, Our Time in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We could have said, “while there, my paths were lit, good food was provided, it was interesting to learn about the plant and animal life in the valley, while it wasn’t their valley great people walked beside us, and so on.”
God won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle, I Cor 10:13. We won’t crack. The pressure will be there, but He is refining the Gold. Lord, help us to trust You within the valley’s.