Life of Joseph – Part 12 – Prisoner

It didn’t matter how innocent Joseph was, he couldn’t fight the charges brought by Potiphar’s wife and was immediately thrown in prison.

But as we read today, it didn’t matter what Joseph’s location was, God was right there, bringing His favor to whatever work Joseph did.

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Here’s today’s passage.

Genesis 39:20-23 / Amplified Bible

²⁰ And Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, a place where the state prisoners were confined; so he was there in the prison.

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy and loving-kindness and gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison.

²² And the warden of the prison committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatsoever was done there, he was in charge of it.

²³ The prison warden paid no attention to anything that was in [Joseph’s] charge, for the Lord was with him and made whatever he did to prosper.

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Did you notice that Joseph’s “assignment” ended up being the same in prison as when he was in Potiphar’s house? I believe part of the reason was because Joseph’s “behavior” was the same in prison as it had been in Potiphar’s house.

It didn’t matter where he found himself, Joseph did whatever job he was given to do and apparently did it excellently. I think he was able to do that not so much because of the dreams God had given him, but because of the God who had given him the dreams. He trusted God with his future . . . no matter what his present looked like.

And geography REALLY doesn’t matter to God and His purposes for us or His favor to us. He can bless us in prison as well as He can bless us in a mansion.

Where is it easier for you to serve God? Why?

Truths:

1. No matter what hopeless place we find ourselves in — even situations totally out of our control and through no fault of our own — God is right there with us. And He can make us prosper there, grant us favor, make us successful, give us meaningful work to do and opportunities to help people and be an influence in their lives.

2. God can and will fulfill His purpose in our lives no matter where we find ourselves. We can’t get away from God or His purposes for us. We can refuse to do it . . . and sometimes we do when our situation doesn’t please us. But there’s no place God CAN’T use us!

3. Even unbelievers can see and make use of our gifts and abilities. And they can unknowingly help us fulfill God’s purpose for our life.

Application Questions:

1. What places have I been in that seemed hopeless?

2. How did I get there?

3. What did God do for me there?

4. Who did I help while I was there . . . that I wouldn’t have met otherwise?

5. Who am I continuing to help because of the time I spent in that hopeless place?