Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens
“To instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom” (v. 22). Joseph was eventually placed in a position where his wisdom would influence people around him, but that wisdom was not formed overnight. God used years of hardship, disappointment, responsibility, and waiting to prepare him for the influence he would later have. The qualities Joseph needed in the palace were being developed while he was still in places nobody would have considered important. We often want God to give us greater opportunities without first allowing Him to develop greater character within us. We may pray for influence, but God may first teach us humility. We may ask for responsibility, but He may first teach us faithfulness in small things. We may desire a new season, while God is still preparing us for it in the hidden places. Do not despise the season you are in simply because it does not look impressive. God can use ordinary responsibilities, difficult relationships, quiet seasons, and unexpected challenges to prepare you for something greater. What feels like a delay may actually be divine training. God is not wasting the hidden years of your life.
“Israel then entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham” (v. 23). Eventually, Joseph’s family entered the very land where God had been preparing him. What began with Joseph being sent away as a slave became part of the way God provided for an entire family. Yet even then, Israel lived as foreigners in a land that was not their permanent home. This reminds us that God’s people often have to live through seasons where they do not feel completely settled. There may be times when we feel like strangers in our circumstances, unsure of where we belong or what God is doing. We may look at our lives and wonder why things do not feel as secure as we hoped they would. But belonging to God does not mean that every season will feel familiar. Sometimes He allows us to live in places of uncertainty so that our dependence on Him becomes deeper. When you find yourself in an unfamiliar season, do not measure God’s faithfulness by how comfortable you feel. The Lord was still guiding Israel when they were foreigners, just as He was guiding Joseph when he was a slave. Your surroundings may change, but God’s presence does not.
“And the Lord made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes” (v. 24). After years of hardship and uncertainty, God began to multiply His people. The story reminds us that His purposes were much larger than Joseph’s individual circumstances. Joseph’s suffering was connected to the preservation and growth of an entire people. We often see only what is happening to us personally, while God sees how our lives fit into a much greater story. A painful season may affect more people than we realize. Our faithfulness in difficulty may encourage someone else. Our perseverance may become an example to our children. Our willingness to trust God during uncertainty may strengthen someone who is watching us quietly. We may never know the full impact of what God is doing through our lives. That is why we should not assume that a difficult season has no purpose simply because we cannot see the results yet. God can take one person’s suffering, faithfulness, and obedience and use it to bring blessing far beyond that person’s immediate circumstances. What you are walking through may be producing fruit that you will not see for years.
Joseph’s story teaches us that God can be preparing something significant even when our lives seem to be moving backward. Joseph was sold as a slave, but God was sending him ahead. He lived through hardship, but God was developing wisdom in him. Israel entered Egypt as foreigners, but God was preparing to multiply them into a great people. The hidden seasons of our lives are not empty seasons when they are placed in God’s hands. There may be things God is developing in you that cannot yet be seen. There may be doors He is preparing to open, people He is preparing to reach through you, or purposes He is preparing you to fulfill. So do not give up simply because you cannot see the outcome. Keep trusting. Keep serving. Keep praying. Keep being faithful in the place where God has you today. The chapter you wish you could skip may be preparing you for the chapter you have been praying for. God is never careless with your story. Even when He is working in secret, He is still working. Trust Him with the preparation, the waiting, and the future He is quietly unfolding.
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