Friday, February 24, 2012

What About Joseph?

This has been a hard post to write.
In fact, I've been struggling with the topic for months.
Maybe longer.

It's hard to face the topic of Joseph.

People honestly love me and try to encourage me
with their thoughts of Joseph,
but they haven't grasped our daily reality.

I know this is the Lord's will.
I accept this by faith.

I long for a little compassion when they remind me of Joseph.

The Innocent Man has to find a way in jail to buy his own clothes,
his own toothpaste, his own shampoo, his own snacks.
He is limited to two shots of insulin a day,
when his doctor had him on a daily regimen of four.
In jail they consider baloney a food,
a food worthy of serving twice a day,
once on white bread, once with gravy.
I think if anyone pictured their innocent loved one in jail,
they would struggle with the story of Joseph, too,
because they would be struggling with having to accept
that this is part of the Lord's plan for their lives.


Not a wedding, not a career, not a public ministry.
Jail.
 I made myself read part of the Scriptures about Joseph.
Shying away from any part of the Lord's Holy Word
is like turning my back on God.

Of course, I was blessed.
As I finally faced that story of Joseph,
I discovered  the first use of the word
deliverance
in the Bible is in the telling of the life of Joseph.

Genesis 45:7
And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,
and to save your lives by a great
deliverance.

When I walked out of the courtroom
without the Innocent Man  I understood
God doesn't always deliver.

 Deliverance
did not come that day,
despite the tears, prayers and pleadings of many believers
around the United States.

Deliverance
occurs in
God's timing
and
God's way.
If God had delivered Joseph from his brothers out of the pit
and brought him home to his father,
he wouldn't have been able to restore and  save his family.

If God had delivered him after he was sold to the Ishmaelites
he wouldn't have been able to save the nations.

If God had delivered him when he was first jailed
he wouldn't have been able to fulfill God's plan.


 
Each step in Joseph's life of suffering
brought him farther away from the comforts of home and family,
but  into closer fellowship with the Lord.
 
We can easily read about Joseph's sufferings, because we know how it ends.
With the Innocent Man,
we don't know how the story will end.

We don't know how or when
deliverance
will come.

But, we read the story of Joseph for encouragement and hope.
We know who sent Joseph to jail,
even though it may be hard to accept.

Genesis 45:7-8
God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth,
and to save your lives by a great
deliverance.
So now it was not you who sent me here, but God;

We know it was meant for good.

Genesis 50:19-20
 Joseph said to them,
“Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
But as for you, you meant evil against me;
but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day,
to save many people alive.

By faith, we know
deliverance
will come.

Until
deliverance
comes,
we must live by faith.

8 comments:

  1. We don't know the purpose but there is One who does!!

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  2. I always sit and wish I had something to write that would encourage but I am always at a loss. This is just such a huge trial that I don't know how to express myself very well.

    Please know that I was here, tried to imagine the pain you're all going through and will continue to pray for a miracle.

    God is merciful and His love endures forever. God is merciful and His love endures forever.
    Love you all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Appreciated your post. While thinking about what you had written, the thought came to mind that God was with Joseph, and didn't deliver him (until the end).
    Had I been with Joseph, I would've had a hard time seeing that God was with him - but such was the case.

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  4. I have been a follower of your blog for a few months now. I can't remember how I found you, but God knew what He was doing when He made our paths cross. ;) I have been going through some trials of my own and your words have been so comforting and healing to me. Sometimes you point out something in the Bible that I have overlooked or say something that I need to hear/be reminded of. I will continue to keep you and your family in my prayers.

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  5. I never really know what to say to you. I have many questions and keep trying to piece all of this together somehow. How are the children doing? Are you continuing to homeschool? Do you get to visit with S? Talk to him? Everything is quite vague, even though I've followed you for quite a while...Continuing to pray that God will comfort and meet the needs of your family.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am also at a loss for words that will be any true comfort to you. We all know that God is in control and does all things for the good of them that love him. We do not always, in fact rarely, find that easy to accept when we are the ones enduring trials.
    I have mentioned before that I have had some similar experiences. I hope you and your friends and family are able to visit this brother in prison as it is a place that can swallow one up with grief :-( I am alarmed as a diabetic that they would not allow him adequate insulin. Jails are tough here but not to the point of with holding insulin and while the food is basic it is well balanced. In fact, people get quite upset here with how "good" inmates have it. Loss of liberty is a huge punishment for anyone. Are his family not allowed to supply any of his basic needs? Are there channels through whom they could partition for him to have correct medical care. I'm teary now. I visited a loved one for fifteen long months but then it was over. I pray your (rather his) wait will not be too long.
    As others have commented, the Innocent Man's story is quite vague to us and in some ways hard to understand.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Someone sent me your link.
    I know 1st hand what you are dealing with.
    Actually, it's the only reason my blog exists--my husband's incarceration.

    I've written a LOT about it.

    If you'd like to visit me, or email me please do.
    Lizzie
    www.adustyframe.com
    adustyframe @ yahoo.com (take out spaces)

    ReplyDelete

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