And the name of the second, he called Ephraim: "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction"
THE DREAMER
The beginning of Joseph’s life was that he was the “THE DREAMER” God revealed to him the purpose and meaning that He created him for, and that he would be a person of great importance and responsibility in order to save his family and people. When you look deeply at this scene, you will find that the vision is great and the dream is wonderful, but actually through many evidences, you find that this young man was not at all prepared for this mission!
This is the case with many, the dream is wonderful and the call is great, but we are not qualified, and we either sit down to cry out of frustration or pray for an unrealistic “magic” response to solve this crisis!!
The pain that Joseph experienced was due to many negative factors in his family. His father's favoritism towards him, and the differential treatment between him and his brothers, was a grave mistake, which made his brothers filled with hatred, and the desire to get rid of him. Joseph was also not this humble young man at that time, but he used to tease his brothers, and deepen the division between them and his father! When Joseph was thrown into the well, it was not a sudden accident, but rather a stark expression of the tragedy of an entire human family due to the many mistakes of all parties together over a long period of time.
God did not wish for all this evil to happen, nor to see all this pain. God also does not like the evil that happened to you, nor does He like to see you suffer. But at that exact time, God comes to turn evil into good, and turn pain into fruit, in a miraculous way . God loves to invest our pain for our good, and He did this miracle in the life of Joseph.
With all the pain and humiliation Joseph was subjected to, there was strength and grace from the Lord to invest this pain and turn it into a blessing and fruit and achieve a profound change in his life. Thus, the Lord wants to make you fruitful even in the land of your pain or the land of your humiliations!
1- Investment of periods of abandonment:
When he was exposed to the experience of abandonment and deprivation from his father, family and loved ones, it was the best moment for the Lord to train him to be free from the false "dependence", especially on the part of his father. Joseph used to live through His earthly father, but now that he is preparing for the his mission and his destiny, he must be trained in a deep way. how to depend on God as his real father and be very successful in this matter. Joseph received the training, and accepted the change, and we see this clearly when you read, “The Lord was with Joseph, and Joseph was a successful man” (Genesis 39:2). Joseph succeeded in his life because of the Lord’s help and support, because he relied and was depending on the Lord and not on his father!
Do you go through times of abandonment or deprivation from the people who were most close to you? The Lord wants to do with you as He did with Joseph, and train you to depend on Him, and He will not fail you. The Lord will not release you into your life or mission as dependent on someone else. Practice trusting in yourself from the reality of relying on the Lord.
2- Investment of the suffering of loneliness:
Joseph was suffering from periods of loneliness away from his family and loved ones, but during this time he did not only got to know God more, but he got to know himself more! Joseph got to know Joseph more! As you read the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, you notice that Joseph became a wonderful manager who was self-confident and he recognized his hidden talents in order to release and exploit them.
(Genesis 39: 3) “Joseph was good-looking and in a good shape” (Genesis 39: 6).
When you are alone, this is the best time for you to discover the deep and positive things and talents that are put in you. Loneliness is great for recognizing your true self, and getting in touch with your inner man. In the light of the Lord, you will say with David: " I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well."
(to be continued)
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