God

Has Made Me

Fruitful

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly. He gathered up all the food of the seven years when there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and stored up food in the cities; he stored up in every city the food from the fields around it. So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance – like the sand of the sea – that he stopped measuring it; it was beyond measure.

Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house. The second he named Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes.”

The seven years of plenty that prevailed in the land of Egypt came to an end; and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.” And since the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was server in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine became severe throughout the world.

Genesis 41:46-57

When seemingly needless suffering invades our lives, we have to remember that God will take care of us. Joseph was in a position of influence, a position that God soon used to feed surrounding nations and Joseph’s family during famine. But how did he become influential? Joseph was first sold into slavery, which allowed him to be useful and humble. Joseph drew on God’s resources when he was humiliated, and he became better, not bitter. He suffered, but he survived and went on to great things, all because he trusted God.

Adversities

are often blessings in disguise.

Our Daily Bread – July 22, 2005