Is God Preparing You For Service?

No matter how much I tried to make her my friend, she continually bullied me.

Has anyone ever hated you unfairly? It’s a terrible feeling to have to work with a person that has it out for you.

Then one morning, I absent-mindedly clicked on the radio while I got ready for work. It was no accident. Pastor David Jeremiah was teaching about Joseph. That message was manna from Heaven for me. He taught on Joseph for several days and I eagerly listened every morning. This study of Joseph strengthened and encouraged me to keep going during a difficult time.

Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and they hated him. They plotted to kill him, but ended up selling him into slavery instead. Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard, bought Joseph.

“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, ⁴ Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. ⁵ From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ⁶ So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” Genesis 39: 1-23 NIV

God showed me that even though I was in a job where someone mistreated me, He was still with me, giving me favor, teaching me His ways and preparing me for something else.

“Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, ⁷ and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. ⁹ No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” ¹⁰ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”

She continued to chase after him, but to no avail. Eventually, she falsely claimed that Joseph raped her. As a result, Joseph was thrown into prison. To Joseph, it must have looked like all was lost! To be a slave in Pharaoh’s prison left little hope for a future.

“But while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. ²² So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ²³ The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”

When Joseph worked as a slave in Potiphar’s house, he learned how to manage and oversee an important household. When Joseph was put in prison, he learned how to manage and oversee a prison. All of this was preparation for how God would use him to lead the great Kingdom of Egypt during a seven year famine.

“God Gives People the Talents and Opportunities They Need for The Tasks He Wants Them to Accomplish.”

David Jeremiah

If you are going through difficult circumstances right now, perhaps God is preparing you for a task He wants you to accomplish. Perhaps He is molding your character into the image of Christ. Seek Him with all your heart. Ask Him to show you what you are supposed to learn.

If you are a child of God, “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NKJV

With Love, Cindy

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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