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Positioned for a Purpose

Words of Faith Final

Positioned for a Purpose
Words of Faith 7-12-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 39
But while Joseph was there in the prison, [21] the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. [22] So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. [23] The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

The first injustice against Joseph occurred when his brothers trapped him like an animal and sold him as a slave. But God was with Joseph, and he prospered in the house of Potiphar. The second injustice against Joseph occurred when Potiphar's wife lied about him, and he was thrown into prison. But the Lord was with him.
The Lord was not with Joseph just once. Of course not. The Lord was with Joseph throughout all the difficulties and trials he endured. The Lord showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
Again, the point is not that Joseph was exceedingly talented, even though he was. The point is not that Joseph was clever and hard-working, even though he was and did. Life, death, and favor were in the hands of the Lord, not Joseph's captors.
Joseph saw such favor that the warden put Joseph in charge of the prison! The warden took a vacation! He didn't worry about the prison because of this talented guy he left in charge. Why did this work? Because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did.
So this is when the great jailbreak occurred, right? After all, it was the perfect time for Joseph to steal away by night and return to Canaan. He could have shown up at Jacob's house back from the dead and shocked his brothers good! He was in charge of the prison, so it was perfect! The great escape, right? Wrong. No, Joseph just stayed put.
Why? Did Joseph like his new surroundings? There is no indication of that. No, Joseph simply understood that there was a reason for all this. The presence of the Lord was with him and he knew that there was purpose even in this prison episode of his life. We know God had to get Joseph into a lower place to move him to a higher place.
If only we could learn to trust God that way. In our Christian life, we often praise God for the upturns but whine and complain at the "downturns." Not Joseph. We are often tempted to bolt and run as soon as we see an opening. Not Joseph. He was sitting tight and watching for what God would do next. Life may be a roller coaster, but the coaster has to go down before it goes up. The things we view as "setbacks" are often just positioning for a purpose. God had to get Joseph into prison so that He could move him to a different and more strategic place.
Has God recently repositioned you? Have you had a "setback?" Often there is no way to see what is ahead or understand why this has happened. But we can know the BIG truth that the Lord is with us. God is with you and will reveal what is ahead. Are you in a "high place"? There is a purpose in this. God is positioning you for something yet to come. There may be a "downturn," but God will be with you in the downturn just as He is with you in the high place.

Father God, reveal Yourself to me. I rejoice in knowing that You are with me in the high place and in life's downturns. I delight in knowing that You are with me and have positioned me for a purpose. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.