Don't You See Me God!

In Genesis 40 and 41 Joseph has been falsely imprisoned. Eventually Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, are placed in prison too. They both have disturbing dreams and Jospeh interprets them. Before the cupbearer leaves to return to Pharaoh, Joseph tells him to remember him. He doesn't. He doesn't until Pharaoh has a dream that disturbs him 2 years later. This jogs the cupbearers memory and Joseph is brought to interpret the dream. Pharaoh so impressed with Joseph, appoints him second in command. On the surface this seems like ultimate redemption. It most definitely is, but there are a few key points I want to touch on.

1. It can feel like God has forgotten us when He's really just setting us up for victory.

Joseph was in prison 2 more years after the cupbearer got out . That's another 730 days, 175,200 hours, and 1,051,200 minutes where he may have wondered what happened. God did you forget me? God am I paying for some wrong I did? Will I be here forever? And in many ways it seemed as though Joseph didn't make any headway. He was seemingly right back where he started. Still a slave. Still a prisoner. But God! When it seems darkest, But God!

Pharaoh ended up having a dream he couldn't figure out and this jogged the cupbearers memory about Joseph. I believe God sent him that dream. God sent an ungodly ruler a dream, so a godly man could be freed, and exalt the God above all gods as the answer. God set Joseph up for victory and ensured a secure future for him as second in command in Egypt, later saving all of future Israel.

Sometimes we'd be content just to get our blessing and run, avoid the pain and struggle and find some peace and normalcy to life again. However I feel sometimes God says, "The stage isn't big enough yet! If I'm going to deliver you, I'm going to leave no doubt it was me!" Enter the Red Sea. Cue the 2 fish and 5 loaves. See the sun standing still. Hear the walls falling down through shouts of praise and instruments. God sets us up for victory on a larger scale than we can imagine because His thoughts and plans are larger than we can imagine. When He brings such grand victories He is preparing a platform for us to share about the very God that delivered us. He is giving us something to say, something to speak about, preach about, and give hope to others still going through the fire. People may question and argue with your theology, but they can't dismiss a changed life. They can't dismiss the testimony He gave you. They can't dismiss the miracle. In light of all this, He often brings us to that victory, to that miracle, AFTER He's broken us. This brings me to my last point.

2. God can use our trials to work pride out before victory comes in.

Each time Joseph interpreted a dream, man sought to praise him or there was an opportunity to gain man's praise. Genesis 40:8 says "And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”' And then in Gene 41:15-16 it says, 'Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.” “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”'

There is always an opportunity for pride to try to take some of the spotlight. "Oh yeah that was me! Oh yes I am gifted. Oh yes, without me this wouldn't have worked." However when you've really been through it... When God has kept you in the fire long enough, in the prison long enough, in the storm long enough, you no longer see your abilities, but His abilities. You come to a place of brokenness that you realize without God you're not going to make it. This isn't because God enjoys breaking us. He doesn't take pleasure in our pain and our suffering. God simply will not share the spotlight with us. He wants us dependent on Him and not independent or interdependent.

That may seem ironic. As a society we aim to be independent and any reliance on people seems like codependence or weakness. Then there's interdependence which is a reliance on each other for survival, It's a "I need you and you need me." mentality. Let me be blunt. God does not need us. We need Him. God can exist without us, but we can not exist without Him. Acts 17:28 says "For in Him we live and move and have our being..." We need God, but not the other way around. God choses to use us, not that God has no other options.

Joseph went through a breaking point and was no longer that teenage kid boasting to his brothers and father about his dreams. He was no longer that prideful boy misusing what God had shown him to feed his ego. He was no longer that kid flaunting around in his multi colored coat and tattling on his brothers, being loved most by his father. When we see him around 13 years later, he is a man of God that has learned not to try and steal God's credit. Humility has replaced his pride. James 4:10 says "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." Joseph probably had some unanswered questions about why he still remained in jail, but he remained humble. God then lifted him up and out of that prison.

Even when you haven't gained victory yet there are opportunities for pride. When people see that you're still enduring when others would have given up, they may praise you. They aren't purposely trying to ensnare you, but realize pride always waits for an opening. In Ezekiel 28 we find out pride was the undoing of Lucifer who we also know as Satan. Pride is stronger and a bigger problem than we often acknowledge. Pride pushes us to say "Look at me!" When humility says "Look at God!" We may go through the fire a little longer till pride gets worked out of us.

In Joseph's life it was evident he learned brokenness and humility and escaped the pull of pride. When faced with his brothers that sold him into slavery, it was tears of reconciliation versus a lust for retaliation. It was "God did this!" not "I did this and let me show you just how powerful I am!". (Genesis 45) Through the life of Joseph we see how God never forgets us but, sets us up for the greatest victory. We also see how God in His mercy, uses our trials to work out the things that would hold us back and taint our victory. God is a loving and gracious God.