DO NOT DOUBT: DOMINION IN DISGUISE

MEDITATION ROOM, DUKE CHAPEL, DURHAM, NC, USA.

Now Joseph has been put in prison.  Through no fault or misdeed of his own, he is not only enslaved, but imprisoned as well.  Joseph did not let go of God, however, and "the LORD was with him," (Genesis 39:21)

"The LORD showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.  So the warden put Joseph in charge of those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there."  (Genesis 39:21-23)

Like Joseph, you may be jailed by circumstances; enslaved by situations.  Ill-health, poverty, oppression, manipulation--these are prisons of the mind and of the flesh.  It is up to you to take dominion over these trials!  Even though the outward appearance may take a long time to shift, an internal shift toward mastery is always within your grasp.  Trust in God, and He will give you success.  That success may not look like victory by worldly standards.  You may appear to be on the ropes, for real.  But when you trust God to carry you, to be with you, to protect you--even when matters are the most bleak--it is victory.  It is dominion.

Do not fail to recognize the way out!  Joseph had been in the dungeon "a right good while," as my grandma would say, when the cupbearer and the baker were cast down with him.  Potiphar (Tellingly, the Bible stops using his name, and only acknowledges his rank at this point.  One does not imprison blessings because shenanigans.)

himself puts these two high-ranking officials into Joseph's care, "and he attended them." (Genesis 40:4)

Joseph never stopped doing his job.  You should stick with your program, however bad your situation may seem.  Toughing it out is grooming you for the time when things suddenly turn in your favor.  In Joseph's case, the breakthrough was precipitated by two more dreams.  There are those who don't believe God speaks in dreams.  If you encounter someone like this along your spiritual path, be assured, they do not take the time to study the Bible!

Below:  "Your Breakthrough is Coming!"

The cupbearer and the baker were two of Pharaoh's closest men.  One poured the wine; the other baked the bread.  It was they who assured the ruler that his food and his drink would not poison and kill him!  He had to trust them.  They had to maintain trustworthiness.  The two men dreamed similar scenarios.  The cupbearer dreamed a dream of growth and service:  The vine budded, ripened, and he provided the king with wine.  Joseph told him he would be okay.  The baker's dream saw birds helping themselves to the bread in the baskets atop his head.  Bad news for the baker.  Joseph told him without holding back.

Just as Joseph had interpreted, in three days, the cupbearer returned to Pharaoh's service.  The baker was hanged.  Joseph had told the cupbearer, "mention me to Pharaoh when all goes well with you!" (Genesis 40:14)

The cupbearer forgot.  Two full years passed.  Joseph continued to stick to his task.  Unjustly imprisoned, and in charge of everything.  Like Potiphar, the warden "paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care,"  (Genesis 39:23) because Joseph excelled at administration under any circumstance.  How many of us could focus on the job we have been assigned when everything about it is wrong and unfair?  How much time and energy would we waste complaining?  Instead of doing what comes to hand, would we not desperately search for a way of escape?  The Bible mentions none of this in connection with Joseph.  In many situations, it is the better part to remain stoic.  Either we trust God or we don't.  Joseph trusted God and did his job while enslaved, unjustly accused, imprisoned, and forgotten.  But then, Pharaoh had dreams, too.

No one in the land could interpret the king's dream, and finally, the cupbearer snapped to.

"Today I am reminded of my shortcomings..." (Genesis 41:9)  The cupbearer reminded Pharaoh of the time he had imprisoned him, and described how Joseph had interpreted the dreams of the baker and of his own.

Pharaoh sent for Joseph.  "God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires," (Genesis 41:16)  said Joe.

Joseph had learned some things.  He told the king, "I cannot, but God can."  He had learned humility.  His response to the ruler was not cloaked in arrogance, nor was it steeped in bitterness.  "God can do it," was all he said.

The king told Joseph his dreams:  "I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt."  You certainly have heard the account of the seven skinny cows devouring the seven fat, sleek cows--and still remaining gaunt and ugly.  The seven worthless grains swallowed the seven full, good grain heads.

In explaining and interpreting the dreams as God's plan to send seven years of famine after seven years of abundance, Joseph carefully controlled the narrative so that none but him could carry out the contingencies required to save the land of Egypt from disaster.  Doubled-down dominion was the result.  Pharaoh effectively turned himself into a figurehead of state and let Joseph run the whole country.

"Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." (Genesis 41:40)

This time, Joseph was ready.  

Armed with humility, diligence, perseverance, and a good reputation, he set about preparing the nation for the hard times to come.  He was not lulled by the incredible abundance of the fat years.  Consequently, he was able to concentrate the power and influence of the land into Pharaoh's hands when things got tight.

Joseph used the time he spent in prison to solidify his relationship with God.  The interceding of Christ and the groundwork of the Holy Spirit was not available to him.  That blessing had not yet arisen for the faithful; it was thousands of years in the future.  By the time he stood before Pharaoh, he was humble, yet self-assured and confident in relaying the mind of God to the ruler of Egypt.  Pharaoh clearly viewed him as a man of spiritual power, God-sent to help him rule.

"Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, '"I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt."'  

(Genesis 41:44)

Never lose sight of the plan of God for your life!  Even in your darkest hour, God is there.  For all you know, the breakthrough will not come without the times of testing.  The Almighty wants to prepare you for the good things He has for you.  This might mean a dry season (or many dry seasons) in your life.  Satan is crouched and waiting for you to give up before your season of testing and trial is concluded.  DON'T DO IT!

Joseph, from the moment his brothers flung him down into a dark well, had been chosen for a monumental task; he was destined for greatness.  First, he had to be betrayed, abandoned, enslaved, accused, imprisoned. When he was finally entrusted with the fate of an entire nation, he did not dwell on all the hardship he had encountered beforehand.  Joseph set about preparing for famine with the same work ethic he had shown in Potipher's house, and after that in his dungeon.  Two years of false imprisonment served as a lesson to him during seven years of plenty.  Joseph learned to trust God.  He learned to depend on God.  He learned to wait on God.

Whatever your current situation.  You can take these same lessons from the life of Joseph.  His greatest test still awaits:  his brothers are coming.  The famine sent by God serves to enforce Joseph's dominion over them.  His struggle to forgive them and achieve peace in his heart over their betrayal is the next life-lesson we will examine in our study of dominion.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog!