Have you ever gotten through a difficult season and just been at peace for awhile?  It’s a great feeling.  You make it through and feel as though you are on the other side.  We pick up the story of Joseph in such a place.  He is experiencing God’s blessing through children and through successfully ruling all of Egypt.  Let’s look at the account together today.

 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. 50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

Joseph is not only ruling Egypt but he is doing it really well.  Egypt is the only nation that has food so they are getting rich by selling grain to all the other nations around them.  God is using Joseph to help save the world from starving.  Often God brings us through a hard time so that He can use us for something special.  I pray that God will use the hard times in our lives to do the same.  Today take some time to reflect on some hard times in your life and look to see just how God has used those for good. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave