“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isa 55:11).

If we want to know the power of God’s word, we must subordinate our feelings and experiences to it. This is why the Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Prov 3:5-6). This does not imply that our understanding is useless, but that it is limited and subject to distortion and, therefore, incomparable with God’s word, which has been purified seven times (Ps12:6), and is settled forever in heaven (Ps 119:89). Being sentient beings, we tend to evaluate reality by how we feel and what we have experienced. However, neither our feelings nor our experiences are necessarily a true representation of reality. Things are not always as they appear. Joseph’s life is a  case in point.
   
Having received God’s word for his life through a series of dreams(Gen 37:5-10), Joseph was excited about the prospect of a great future. What he did not know was the long and arduous path he would have to take to arrive at that future. From the point at which his brothers took away his coat of many colours and threw him into a pit(Gen 37:23-24), his life’s journey would become a series of dramatic twists and turns. First, his brothers sold him to Midianites, who in turn sold…” him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard” (Gen 37:36). Joseph became a servant in Potiphar’s house. Just when Potiphar promoted him to chief servant of his household, and he was beginning to enjoy some prestige and privileges, trouble came calling: “And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me”” (Gen 39:7). Though she pestered Joseph with her amorous advances, he remained steadfast in his refusal to lie with her. Consequently, she framed Joseph and he was imprisoned.
   
A casual observer would have found it difficult to believe that Joseph was still on course to the greatness of which he had dreamt, let alone closer to it than he had ever been. The ways of God are not the ways of man. If we really understand this, it will save us so much needless stress. Joseph’s feelings and his human derstanding might have told him it was over. He might even have been tempted to consider his enigmatic situation an abortion of his dreams. But the master strategist who— makes everything work out according to his plan (Eph 1:11)—was still at work. Joseph had to adjust to prison life. “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Gen 39:21). Think about it: THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH. The most important asset in your life is God’s presence with you. No wonder David cried, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps 51:11). We should be thankful to God that His word concerning us in Christ Jesus is, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5).
   
Thank God Joseph did not lose sight of God’s word to him, in spite of all the difficulties that surrounded him. If we consistently keep God’s word in sight, our consciousness of His presence with us will increase, and He will become more real to us. God does not let us undergo difficulties so as to destroy us, but to prove our faith, and thereby refine us: ” But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). However, it is important to remember that God was not the author of Joseph’s troubles, and neither is He the author of yours, nor of mine. Nevertheless, God often uses adversity—without being responsible for it— to prepare His people for their respective roles in His programme for their lives.
   
The keeper of the prison made Joseph responsible for the other inmates. Because Joseph kept his eyes on God and His word, the adverse circumstances of his life could not embitter and sour his personality. The result was that he radiated the glory of God so much that he won the admiration and respect of those around him. First, Potiphar observed it and put him in charge of his household, next the the keeper of the prison noticed it and entrusted the other prisoners to him. There is certainly something about being devoted to God and His word that spotlights you.
While in prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two men, which they had had on the same night. Both of them were Pharaoh’s staff: the butler and the baker. Joseph’s interpretation of either man’s dream was accurate: the baker was hung, and the butler was reinstated. However, before the butler was released from prison, Joseph had asked him a favour: “But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house” (Gen 40:14). The butler’s response? “Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Gen 40:23). God would not let Joseph rely on the arm of flesh. God does not want us to look to man for, “He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man” (Ps 147:10). Had Joseph relied on his understanding, he would have become completely discouraged, and likely given up. However, he stood the test. The Bible says of him, “He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him.” (Ps 105:17-19). But once God’s word had refined and proved him true, the following became his testimony: “The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom”” (Ps 105:20-22). Let us, therefore, make the word of God the foundation of our lives. Shalom.