41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.

Dear God, I can’t remember how old Joseph was when the brothers sold him into slavery, but I am pretty sure he was an early teen. That would mean he spent half of his life in some form of slavery (although he had some power during the Potiphar years). I wonder how often he thought back to those dreams he told his brothers and father about. I wonder how many times he was ready to give up in despair when he would remember that you had promised him something special. I wonder how many times he wondered if the dreams were wrong or if he were wrong. Hope is an interesting thing, but I almost wonder if you didn’t give him those dreams as a child so that he could keep his faith and his hope when he was older.

It seems that you are always preparing us for the future, even when we don’t know it. You are giving us experiences now that will help us later. It isn’t until much, much later that we can look back and put it all together. I went through a three-year wilderness of sorts, although it honestly wasn’t that bad compared with what other people suffer. It feels like I am in a bit of a wilderness now with the challenges I face each day, but, again, can I really complain when I see how others suffer? The truth is, my life is pretty good and easy. You are just using some of these struggles to refine me.

Father, I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you sustain me. I thank you that you provide for me. I am not worthy of the unbelievable blessings you give to me. I am not worthy of your grace. But you give it all to me anyway because you are more benevolent than I can imagine. So help me to be a good steward of everything over which you have given me charge. Help me to be a leader, but also a servant. Help me to love others more than I love myself. Help me to sacrifice for your glory and not my own. I am not asking for anything special for me. I am simply asking that you use me as you will and help me to completely submit my life to you.