Tested
Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. (Gen. 39:19-23)
On November 28, 1965, Howie Rutledge’s fighter jet exploded under enemy fire. He parachuted into the hands of the North Vietnamese Army and was promptly shown to Room 7 of the "Hanoi Hilton." In his book, In the Presence of Mine Enemies, Cdr. Rutledge wrote, “It's hard to describe what solitary confinement can do to unnerve and defeat a man. You quickly tire of standing up or sitting down, sleeping or being awake. There are no books, no paper or pencils, no magazines or newspapers. The only colors you see are drab gray and dirty brown. Months or years may go by when you don't see the sunrise or the moon, green grass or flowers. You are locked in, alone and silent in your filthy little cell breathing stale, rotten air and trying to keep your sanity.”
Few, if any of us will ever face those kinds of conditions. But to one degree or another, we all spend time behind bars: a young mother just diagnosed with lupus – incarcerated by bad health; a man who feels stuck, and guilty for feeling stuck, because his wife battles depression – chained to gloom. After 50 years of marriage, the husband begins to lose his memory. His wife had to take his car keys so he wouldn't drive. She has to stay nearby so he won't fall. They had hopes of growing old together. They still may, but only one of them will know the day of the week. And each of these individuals wonders, “Why would God allow this to happen?” “Does this struggle serve any purpose at all?”
Joseph may have had similar questions. If Mrs. Potiphar couldn't flirt Joseph into her bed, she’d force him. She grabbed for his robe, and he let her have it. When he ran, she made up a story. When Potiphar came home, she was ready with her lie – Joseph’s coat as evidence. Potiphar charged Joseph with sexual assault and locked him in jail. Not a prison in the modern sense, but a maze of underground, windowless rooms with damp floors and stale food. Guards shoved him into the dungeon and slammed the door. And as Joseph leaned back against the wall and slid to the floor, he mutters, "I was kidnapped from my homeland … and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”(Gen. 40:15)
Joseph had done his best in Potiphar's house. He’d made his boss a fortune. His chores were done and his room was tidy. He’d adapted to a new culture. He’d resisted sexual advances. And how was he rewarded? A prison sentence with no hope of parole. Since when does taking the high road lead to driving over the cliff? The answer? Ever since the events of Genesis 3 – disaster came in the form of Lucifer, the fallen angel. And as long as Satan "prowls around like a roaring lion," (1 Peter 5:8) he will wreak havoc among God's people. He will lock preachers, like Paul, in prisons. He will exile pastors, like John, to remote islands. He will afflict the friends of Jesus, like Lazarus, with diseases.
But his strategies always backfire. The imprisoned Paul wrote epistles. The banished John saw heaven. The cemetery of Lazarus became a stage upon which Christ performed one of his greatest miracles. Intended evil becomes ultimate good. Granted, there’s nothing trite about your wheelchair, empty pantry or aching heart. These are uphill, into-the-wind challenges. They’re not easy. But they’re not random, either. God is not “sometimes” sovereign. He is not “occasionally” victorious. He doesn’t occupy the throne one day and vacate it the next. "The Lord shall not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the thoughts and intents of His mind." (Jer. 30:24) This season in which you find yourself may puzzle you, but it doesn’t bewilder God. He’ll use it for his purpose.
Case in point. From our perspective, the Egyptian jail appeared to be the tragic conclusion of Joseph's life. Satan could chalk up a victory for the dark side. All plans to use Joseph ended with the slamming of the jail door. The devil had Joseph just where he wanted him. So did God. “There in prison, they bruised [Joseph's] feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfill his word, the Lord tested Joseph's character.” (Ps. 105:18-19) What Satan intended for evil, God used for testing. In the Bible a “test” is an external trial that purifies and prepares the heart. Just as a fire refines gold and silver from junk and impurities, a trial purges the heart of the same. One of the psalmists wrote: “For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” (Ps. 66:10-12)
Every day God tests us through people, pain or problems. Don’t believe it? Stop and consider your circumstances for a moment. Can you identify today’s tests? Snarling traffic? Threatening weather? Aching joints? Isolation? And if you see your troubles as nothing more than isolated hassles and hurts, you'll grow bitter and angry. But if you see your troubles as tests used by God for his glory and your maturity, then even the smallest incident takes on eternal significance.
Each day has a pop quiz, and there are seasons in life that seem more like finals – brutal, sudden pitfalls of stress, sickness or sadness. Like Joseph, you did your best. Like Joseph, your best was rewarded with incarceration. You think, “What’s the purpose of these tests?” Anticipating such questions, James wrote: "For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." (James 1:3-4)
As a boy, Joseph was prone to softness. Jacob indulged and spoiled him. Joseph talked about his dreams and grand ambitions. Maybe he was too full of himself. Even in Potiphar's house Joseph was the darling of the estate. Quickly promoted, and often noticed. Success came easily. Maybe pride did, too. If so, a prison term would certainly fix that. God knew the challenges that lay ahead, and he used Joseph's time in prison to strengthen him for the future. "And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing." (Gen. 39:22) Talk about a crash course in leadership. Joseph managed willing servants for Potiphar. But in prison he was assigned unruly, disrespectful and ungrateful men. Joseph could have cloistered himself in a corner and mumbled, "I've learned my lesson. I'm not running anything for anybody anymore." But he didn't complain; he didn't criticize. He displayed a willing spirit – even with the prisoners.
He was especially kind to a butler and a baker. The butler and the baker, both officers of Pharaoh, were placed in Joseph's care. One morning he noticed frowns on their faces. He could have dismissed their expressions. What concern was their sorrow to him? Who cared if they were sullen or bitter? Joseph, however, took an interest in them. In fact, the first recorded words of Joseph in the prison were kind ones: "Why do you look so sad?" (Gen. 40:7) Abandoned by his brothers, sold into slavery, unjustly imprisoned, Joseph was still tender toward others. And wouldn't compassion be a suitable quality for the future director of a worldwide hunger-relief program? But God wasn't finished.
Both the baker and the butler were troubled by dreams. In his dream the butler saw a vine with three grape-bearing branches. He pressed the grapes into Pharaoh's cup and gave it to the king. The baker dreamed about bread. Three baskets were on his head, and birds ate the bread in the top basket. Both men sought the counsel of Joseph. And Joseph received an interpretation from God. But would he share it? The last time Joseph spoke about dreams, he ended up in a hole in the ground. Besides, only half of the revelation was good news. Could Joseph be trusted to share God's news? If called to stand before Pharaoh, would Joseph accurately convey God's word? This was a test. And Joseph passed it. He gave the butler good news ("You'll be out in three days"), and the baker bad news ("You'll be dead in three days"). One would get a new start; the other, a dirt bath. Both – the truth.
Test, test, test. The dungeon looked like a prison, smelled like a prison, sounded like a prison, but had you asked the angels of heaven about Joseph's location, they would have replied, "Oh, he’s in boot camp." This chapter in your life looks like rehab, smells like unemployment, sounds like a hospital, but ask the angels. "Oh, she’s in training." God hasn't forgotten you. Just the opposite, actually. He has chosen to train you. The Hebrew verb for “test” comes from a word that means "to take a keen look at; to look; to choose." So, dismiss the notion that God doesn’t see your struggle. On the contrary, God’s completely engaged. He sees the needs of tomorrow and uses your circumstances to create the test of today. And doesn’t he have the authority to do that? Sure He does. He’s the Potter; we’re the clay. He’s the Shepherd; we’re the sheep. He’s the Gardener; we’re the branches. He’s the Teacher; we’re the students. Trust his training. If God can make a prince out of a prisoner, don't you think he can make something good out of you, too?
Don’t forget that all tests are temporary. They’re limited in duration. "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:6) Tests never last forever because life doesn't. "We were born but yesterday . . . Our days on earth are as transient as a shadow." (Job 8:9) Some tests end on earth, but all tests will end in heaven.
In the meantime, follow Joseph’s example. Let God train you. He’s watching the way you handle the little jobs. If you’re faithful with a few things, he’ll set you over many. (Matt. 25:21) Joseph succeeded in the kitchen and in the dungeon long before he succeeded in the court. He cared for the butler and the baker long before he cared for the nations. The reward for good work is greater work. So, do you aspire to great things? Then excel in the small ones. Show up on time. Finish your work early. Don't complain. Let others grumble in the corner of the prison cell, but not you. You know how God shapes his servants, right? Today's prisoner may become tomorrow's prime minister. When you’re given a task, take it on. When you see a hurt, address it.
What if Joseph had ignored the sadness on the faces of Pharaoh's officers? What if he’d focused on his needs and ignored theirs? Would God have still liberated him from prison? We don't know. But we know this: the kindness of Joseph opened the door of the jail because the butler introduced Joseph to Pharaoh. Compassion matters to God. This is the time for service, not self-centeredness. Cancel the pity party. Love the people God brings to you. And then share the message God gives to you.
Your test may very well become your testimony. "[God] comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us." (2 Cor. 1:4) You didn't sign up for this crash course in single parenting or caring for a disabled spouse. I know that. You know that. It’s because God enrolled you. He’s taken the intended evil and rewoven it into his curriculum. Why? So you can teach others what he’s taught you. Your mess becomes your message.
Rather than say, "Why, God?" ask, "What, God?" “What can I learn from this experience?” "Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him." (Deut. 11:2) Rather than asking God to change your circumstances, ask him to use your circumstances to change you. Life is a required course, so you might as well do your best to pass it. God is at work in each of us whether we know it or not, whether we want it or not. "He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way." (Lam. 3:33) He does not relish our sufferings, but he delights in our development. "God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." (Phil. 1:6) He will not fail. He cannot fail. He will "work in us what is pleasing to him." (Heb. 13:21)
Don't see your struggle so much as an interruption to life, but as preparation for life. No one said the road would be easy or painless. But God will use your circumstances for good. "This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children . . . God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best." (Heb. 12:8) You can pass the test. Paul told a church in Corinth full of test-takers just like you and me, “All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” (1 Cor. 10:13)
With God, you’ll stand the test of time.
Grace,
Randy
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