Time

“She (Potiphar’s wife) kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, ‘Come on, sleep with me!’ Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.” (Genesis 39:10-12 NLT)

Time seems to be exaggerated in times of trial. When we’re under pressure to get a project completed, finish an assignment, sell our house, receive a much-needed check, or a thousand other scenarios that involve us in a race with time, it seems there’s never enough of that precious commodity.

Joseph was the youngest of Jacob’s twelve sons and, according to Scripture, was Jabob’s favorite. Jacob had a special robe made for Joseph that only compounded Joseph’s bad standing with his brothers. Joseph obviously had a good standing with the Lord and the Lord revealed to Joseph that he would one day have authority over his brothers.

Without consideration as to how his brothers would react, he shared that great news with them and, as we might expect, they didn’t respond very positively. Circumstances presented themselves to the brothers who, in their jealousy decided to take matters into their own hands, and, ultimately, sold Joseph into slavery to the Egyptians.

That process set the stage for the scenario described in the verses from Genesis that ultimately landed Joseph in prison. You’d think after all the injustice committed against him, Joseph would have been discouraged and frustrated with the Lord, but he’s not. He continues to stand strong as God’s child and to excel in whatever tasks the Lord presents for him to do.

It’s interesting to me that there’s no evidence in Scripture that the Lord ever shared with Joseph: “Joseph, just stay faithful and believe I’m working things out for you,” still, Joseph never wavered. He stayed strong in his conviction that He was God’s child, and he was going to stay pure in every avenue and dimension of his life, including his sexual purity, even though it cost him a stay in prison.

What’s the lesson for us? God always keeps His promises. He will ALWAYS work things for our good and His glory if we leave them in His capable hands, which is exactly what Joseph did. What Satan intended for evil, God intended for good, and His holy will always prevails. Truth will always win in the end.

Lecrae wrote: “The less time you spend with truth, the easier it is to believe lies.” It stands to reason that the opposite of that is also true: “The MORE time you spend with truth, the harder it is to believe lies.” The obvious implication for me is, the more time and energy we invest ourselves in the truth of Scripture, the more easily we’ll recognize the lies that Satan couches in such innocent and appealing ways.  

Joseph obviously prioritized his time with the Lord, so much so, he never had to question God about why things were happening in his life as they were. He trusted and waited and, ultimately, God’s will prevailed. That’s true in your life as well, fellow believer. Things may look very bleak in this season of your life, but that’s not the end of your story. Give it time.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊