Looking For Opportunity
…“Why do you look so sad today?” Genesis 40:7b csb
When we go through trying times and painful seasons in life, we often stop looking outward to those who are in need. We become consumed with our own struggles and fail to notice others around us. Joseph had every reason to do just that. He was in prison for a crime he did not commit. Falsely accused by a woman, he lost his position and was thrown into prison.
Joseph is a remarkable man to study. He had already been betrayed by his brothers and sold as a slave. He was purchased as property and later cast aside because of a false accusation. Yet in our text, we find Joseph concerned for two criminals in Pharaoh’s prison. Despite the painful circumstances of his life, he remained attentive to the needs of others and ready to minister.
Where did such character come from? Joseph never lost hope in the God of his fathers. That hope freed him from despair. He trusted the Lord, committed his ways to God, and rested in God’s faithfulness. When we constantly look inward at what others have done to us, how we feel, or what we lack, we miss the opportunities God places before us.
It was through the cupbearer that Joseph ministered to that God eventually introduced him to Pharaoh. Had Joseph ignored these men and become consumed with his own pain, he may have remained in prison longer than God intended. Paul, another man who suffered greatly, declared, “The things that happened to me have actually advanced the gospel” (Philippians 1:12–13). Paul saw his chains and used them as an opportunity.
We also have opportunities right where we find ourselves today. Let us look for them and trust the Lord’s faithfulness, just as Joseph did.
Agape,
Frank
Looking To The Wrong Source
“Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring from you!” - Genesis 30:2b CSB
Once there was a traveler in the desert who finally reached a well, desperate for water. He lowered the bucket again and again, but the well was dry. In his frustration, he began shouting at the rope, blaming the bucket, even kicking the stone walls of the well itself.
In Genesis 30:1–2 Rachel is unable to have children, and her longing turns into deep frustration, like the traveler. She takes that pain out on her husband and cries, “Give me children, or I shall die!” (v. 1). It’s an extreme statement, but it reveals the depth of her desperation.Jacob’s response is sharp but truthful: “Am I in the place of God?” Jacob understands something Rachel cannot see in her pain he is not the source of life. God alone is sovereign over the womb, and God alone can give what Rachel desires most. We often find ourselves standing where Rachel stood. Deeply longing. Thirsting for something good, yet unattainable. The human heart aches for purpose, love, identity, and fulfillment. But none of these things no matter how good can ultimately be found in people, achievements, or possessions. No amount of striving, searching, or demanding can satisfy the soul apart from God.
The only place true fulfillment, satisfaction is found is in a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Only He can satisfy the deepest longings of the heart. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” John 7:37-38. When we seek Him, we discover that He is not only the giver, we find that He is enough.
Agape,
Frank