God of the mess
Thursday, March 11
God of the mess
We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall. Proverbs 16:33
God is always with us. He is always present. We see this in the life of Joseph. Joseph’s life story was no fairy tale. His life started with a mess. Moses did not tell us that after Joseph was promoted by Pharaoh he lived “happily ever after.” Joseph has been promoted for a definite purpose, and we dare not overlook this in the joy of seeing him taken out of the pit and placed in a position of power and prestige in Pharaoh’s palace. It was in the ups and downs of Joseph’s life that a greater work within him was growing.
In prison, we see again that the Lord was with Joseph, showing him steadfast love and favor with the keeper of the prison who put him in charge of all of the prisoners. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him. It was in this place God showed up once again. Joseph accurately interpreted the dreams of two prisoners, but the chief cupbearer did not remember him, and forgot him in prison for two years, until Joseph was given the opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. This led to the Pharaoh putting Joseph, then 30 years old, over all the land of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. (Genesis 41: 40-41).
What does this mean for us today, living in 2021 when life seems so uncertain? He is a God who works in the mess. It is said that God takes the mess and turns it into a message. And we know this, Romans 8:28 tells us “All things work together for good…” All things means even the messy things, even the things that cause you to wind up in prison works together for your good. For we know that anything God creates first makes a mess before it turns into the message. No matter the valley God has a plan and a purpose