God's Providential Provision (Genesis 40:23-41:14)

In our modern culture of instant results, its hard for us to remember that sometimes God’s plans take time to come to fruition. While things look dark around us, God is moving behind the scenes to work all things out for the good of those who love Him.

A great example of this is found in today’s Scripture passage. To get a fuller experience of God’s providence in this passage, remember that it all takes place while Joseph is sitting in a prison cell.

Please read Genesis 40:23 – 41:14.

Why does God give Pharaoh this dream? There are many reasons: to save his people from the coming famine; to glorify God through prophecy; to reveal the folly of Pharaoh’s ‘wise men.’ But the primary reason that I’d like to focus on today is this: God gave Pharaoh this dream to get Joseph out of prison.

Think about it: Joseph has interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker correctly, but these men did not remember him. Joseph then spends the next two years in an Egyptian jail. Sure, he was given authority over some of the other prisoners, but he was still an inmate. He had no freedom; he had no possessions; he had no real power. He was as low as you could get. He must have been wondering to himself, “What is God doing?”

Have you ever wondered that? I know that it's shunned in Christian circles to doubt God, but have you ever doubted? Have you ever looked around at your circumstances and wondered, “what is God doing? How could He allow this to happen?”

But, even in the midst of our suffering, God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him. Even while Joseph was sitting in a jail cell, God was working behind the scenes to give Pharaoh a dream that no one could interpret but Joseph. God has a plan and we have to trust that He’s working it out.

As I write this devotional, I have just learned that a friend barely escaped his house last night as it burned to the ground. He and his wife are ok, but everything that they own is destroyed. They have no material possessions left. This man wrote a social media post this morning thanking everyone for their prayers, their donations, and their concern. But his post was not sorrowful—he gave God praise for all the opportunities that he has had today to witness to others about God’s provision.

I have no doubt that God is working behind the scenes to provide for my friend, just like he was for Joseph. Right now, he is providing for him by allowing him to experience God’s comfort in the midst of a terrible tragedy, and giving him opportunities to witness to neighbors that otherwise don’t want to hear.

The next time that you are going through difficult circumstances, remember my friend, and remember Joseph. Even in the dark times, even in the burned down houses, even in the prison cells, God is still on His throne, and He is still working all things out for the good of those who love Him.