Daily Reading: Zephaniah 1&2, Psalm 15, 45, 75, 105
Psalm 45:10&11 “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; (11) So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.”
As much as we forget our own people and our father’s house we will find the open arms of a waiting Savior. The king greatly desires our beauty. We are beautiful…regardless of what we think, regardless of how we feel…we are greatly desired. Worship thou Him.
Psalm 105:17-21 “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: (18) Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: (19) Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him. (20) The king sent and loosed him: even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. (21) He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:”
Poor Joseph was used of God, and glorified in the end, but not without much trial, much waiting and much pain. What stuck out to me in reading these verses was the wording in verse 19. It says “until the time that his word came.” When I read it I read it to say until the time that Joseph’s word came. I could be wrong on that but I think for the sake of learning something here I will go with my first impression. God has a word for each of us, a time, a season and a call. He wasn’t making Joseph suffer to teach him a lesson but he was allowing him to suffer until the right time for His word to go forth. He had a task that needed doing. Joseph had the ability, or rather the heart, to do it. The word of the Lord tried him it says. I noticed that it doesn’t say the waiting tried him, or the pain tried him. It doesn’t say that the prison tried him. It says the Word tried him. I think we are often confused and believe that our sufferings are the trials that cause us to better ourselves. It is true that suffering provides us opportunity to learn and grow but the growth itself always comes from the Word. Our healing, our righteousness, our effectiveness, our benefit is not from the trial…it is from the Word. The Word came at the proper time and tried his strength. The Word is so incredible. I’m having trouble putting into words what I’m getting out of this. The Word is so real and so alive…it is that force that causes us to stand or shrink back. When the Word tried Joseph, I believe it was a simple question of asking him if he was ready. Are you the man that I need for the job? Joseph had used his time wisely and though he could have allowed himself to be bitter he waited faithfully for the trying of the Word. He became not only a free man, but a man who changed history. If he had not been ready…if he had been found wanting…his word would have gone elsewhere. Oh to be found ready when my Word comes. Let me be mindful Lord of the Word’s searching me as I search for you.