Joseph,
petted son of a rich nomad,
privy to servants, living in luxury,
feared by all because of his father.

This sort of man must learn another lesson before
he can carry authority in God's behalf.

Joseph had to learn to be a servant, the most abject,
the lowest, most meager worker.
He had to live there and perform . . . willingly.
And he had to learn to do it well, to the
entire satisfaction of an unrighteous master.

He had to live the entire life of a slave, no rights, no freedoms.
No identity and no choices,
losing all and owning nothing,
purely at the mercy of his pagan owner, Potiphar.

And he did it well.
He did it better than all others!
He did it with a head bowed and heart humbled,
else he would never
have been trusted with the entire household.

He began at the bottom, beneath every other slave.
Slave of slaves. Scum of the household.
Not knowing the Egyptian language
he was in a double disadvantage.
Slave and stranger!

Utterly alone,
working out his salvation before
the God of His Fathers that no one around him knew.

Just when his labor had finally rewarded him
with great authority,
he was thrown into a grim Egyptian prison for
a crime he did not commit!

At least Potiphar's house was clean and pleasant,
at least his master was a nobleman of the country.

But prison! among the lowest humanity, the worst of places?
Would Joseph be willing to be a servant to all, even here?

Servant to his own Jailer, Joseph soon was given the
very keys to the prison.
Keys, a symbol of authority, of trust,
of power to open and close doors.

So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison and
he was made responsible for all that was done there.
The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care,
because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Genesis 39:22, 23 NIV

God's pleasure rests on those who serve,
who minister where His walls confine them.
He peers into the views and motives of the hidden heart,
hears the secrets prayers and choices,
and His favor will grant amazing authority where
He sees a true spirit of serving . . .
as unto Him.

Copyright © 1999 Martha Blaney Kilpatrick