The door creaked open, its hinges protesting loudly the movement that disturbed them from their rest. Beyond the door, the flicker of the torch revealed a staircase leading down into the deep pit that served as a prison for those who offended their Egyptian masters. “Another pit, Lord?” Joseph may have thought to himself. “Why does it have to be another dark pit?” But Joseph held his tongue, not giving voice to any frustrations.
“Down you go!” came the voice of his guard who tugged roughly at his arm. They descended the narrow stairs until his bare feet touched the coarse sand that covered the prison floor. It was complete darkness except for the thin shaft of light from a grated opening in the ceiling, enough to illuminate the misery before him, but not so much as to offer hope. Every little sound echoed off the walls of the chamber until even that was swallowed up by the blackness of the room. A sudden shove from the guard sent him collapsing to the floor in a cloud of dust, and behind him the creaking hinges were punctuated by a metallic grinding sound as the door was locked tight.
So, this was it, the place Joseph would call home for the foreseeable future. He got to his feet while brushing the dust from his tunic. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the vague outline of the empty room. “If my brothers could see me now,” he thought to himself,” they would get such satisfaction out of my predicament.”
Choosing a corner, he sat down and considered his position. “God, I know You have a perfect plan. I do not understand all Your ways, but I know I arrived in this place because I would not betray You for selfish gain. So, if this is where serving You takes me, then I will serve You here however you see fit to use me. Yes, Lord…Even here, in this horrid place, I will serve You with excellence!”
Like Joseph, we who follow the Lord do not always get to choose where we end up spending much of our time. To follow God without reservation means surrendering to His sovereignty in every situation, be it pit, prison, or palace.
I recently listened to an interview with a respected elder in my life, and he made a statement that resonated with me. He said that when he and his wife first married, whenever God opened a door, they would walk through it without hesitation. Simple faith led them to trust that if the door had been opened to them that God would provide whatever they needed once they got to wherever the door led them. The path for them was not always easy, but it led them into supernatural experiences they would not have experienced under different circumstances.
Given the choice, I do not believe Joseph would have chosen the pit, or the slave caravan, or the prison. After all, who chooses painful circumstances if such things are not forced upon them? I do however believe that Joseph had established a habit of saying “Yes” to things that were not always convenient or pleasant. It shows up in his attitude every time things take a turn for the worst. The Bible never records Joseph’s complaints with any of these tragic inconveniences. It simply reiterates the fact that Joseph found favor in God’s sight, and that the Lord made everything he touched to prosper.
“Okay, so my brothers have thrown me into a pit. You know what is best for me Lord, so into the pit it is. This will be the cleanest pit in Dothan when I leave. Yes, Lord…I will serve you even here!”
“Oh, so now I am a slave to an idolator and his obsessed wife? So be it! I will do my best for You here too. His gardens will be the best kept, his barns the cleanest, and his records the most detailed in all of Egypt. Yes, Lord…I will serve you even here!”
“Prison? On false accusations? Ok, Lord! You know best. Connect me to the right person to put me in a position to make this the best ran prison in the kingdom. Yes, Lord…I will serve you even here!”
I am certain that there were others who coveted a position next to Pharaoh in the palace. I am also certain that none of those people would have thought the trajectory to that seat of government went through betrayal, slavery, and false imprisonment. Yet, God had a man for the job, and He had a divine plan for how He would get him there. All Joseph had to do was say, “Yes, Lord…I will serve You here too!”
What about you? What dreams has the Father given you? Perhaps a church plant in an unreached part of the country? Maybe a small group Bible Study for an under-served demographic? Possibly a ministry that reaches at-risk teens, or women fleeing abuse? Whatever it is, it will not leave your spirit, and you know it is a God sent dream, but right now you feel far from the Palace where things like that are made possible.
We must remember, the pit is temporary. Perhaps the reason you are there has more to do with those around you than it does with you. Maybe you arrived there through the betrayal of a close friend? Perhaps an unfortunate diagnosis reared its ugly head, and you tumbled inside? Remember, that this is only a season; one chapter in a much longer story. Look at your surroundings and declare, “I did not choose this pit, Lord, but if my presence in this place is your plan, then yes, I will still serve You here!”
Your day in the Palace is coming! The dreams God gave you WILL come to pass if you remain faithful! Do not let the jeering voices of your false brethren, the misconceptions of your own Potiphar, or the opinions of others in similar prisons sway you from what God has said! Just square up to whatever task and tell God, “Yes, Lord, even here I will serve!”
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