Genesis 40:1-15 (After Joseph's imprisonment in Egypt): "Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody. 5 And one night they both dreamed--the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison--each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?" 8 They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me." 9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, "In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand." 12 Then Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit."
Genesis 40:20-23: "20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him."
The passage above describes what is arguably the most difficult season of Joseph's life. Sadly, this unfortunate mistake by the cupbearer was only the latest in a life-long series of trying circumstances and discouraging events that had made Joseph's life much harder than he seemingly deserved. For example, his account in Scripture is among the very few that does not record any major sins and poor decisions he made, unlike his forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Furthermore, Joseph's account reveals an intense devotion to God and an incredible promise of ruling over his family via a vision. Yet despite his incredible godliness, consistent obedience, and high calling, Joseph was required to endure the fierce hatred and betrayal of his brothers, enslavement at the hand of a pagan master in a foreign land, and a long, unjust prison sentence from a false accusation. Through these events, it seemed as if circumstance after circumstance increasingly worked against the childhood promise God made to give him rule over his family and to receive their honor. From a natural perspective, Joseph had every earthly reason to give up and abandon the course God had set him on.
Interestingly, Joseph is hardly the only Biblical figure to have dealt with long-term trials and difficult seasons of waiting while striving to follow the Lord. Noah, for example, likely endured nearly a century of ridicule while building the Ark as God commanded. Another example is David, who, despite being anointed king at a very young age, did not see this promise come to pass for many trying years, many of which he spent in constant danger of Saul's jealous wrath and murderous intentions. In addition, Job spent an unknown length of time in destitution, pain, and agony following God allowing Satan to take all his possessions and health. As these and countless other testimonies in Scripture demonstrate, staying the course in our walk with God and waiting for His promises to be fulfilled do not come easy in this fallen world.
In fact, a friend of mine who went home to be with the Lord experienced this. This man, Pastor Winston Wehrman, was an immensely faithful man of the Lord, having been a missionary to Papua New Guinea, a worship leader in hymns, and a kind-hearted preacher. However, despite his immense devotion and faithful obedience to Christ, he entered a decade-long season of waiting. Towards the end of his life, he became the pastor of a local church that was once known for drawing large crowds during revival events. However, at some point while he was the pastor, he found himself shepherding an immensely small congregation of three other people. For ten long years, Pastor Wehrman's congregation generally remained that size, with little visible fruit coming from their ministry. However, he remained faithful and obedient in holding onto the church, believing that God had a purpose for the church property and would bring other believers to inherit it. Thanks to Pastor Wehrman's faithfulness during those ten long, trying years, his prayers were eventually answered. Today, that church, despite still being small in congregation size (about 20 people on average), remains active to this day.
Likewise, after many years of faithfully serving God in his many trials, Joseph was eventually remembered by the cupbearer, promoted to second-in-command over all Egypt, and reunited with his family. Approximately a century of Noah's faithful obedience was vindicated when the rain of the worldwide flood forever silenced his detractors while he and his family remained safe in the Ark. Years of constant fleeing from Saul eventually ended with David's ascension to Israel's throne, who went on to preside over the nation's most godly reign. Job's submission amid seemingly endless suffering eventually concluded with a miraculous restoration where God gave him double of what he had before. As shown here and throughout the rest of Scripture, staying on course in our walk with God is paramount. No matter how fierce the storm, how seemingly small the task He gives us, how little impact or fruit we see, or how long we wait on Him, God will eventually reward our obedience, fulfill His promises, and lead us into greater things.
Scripture imparts much wisdom on how we can stay on course. This message will cover some highlights concerning the start of our walk with God, staying on course, and ensuring we finish our earthly lives well.
Obviously, to stay on course with God, you must be on that course to begin with! None of what was said before will benefit you whatsoever if you are not saved. Scripture has to say the following about unbelievers:
Thankfully, God did not leave all humanity in this hopeless situation, for as John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." In dying for our sins and taking upon Himself the penalty for sin we deserved, Christ says in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Each and every human being has an individual choice to make before God: to choose Christ and receive salvation or reject Him and receive eternal punishment.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus lays before all people the two paths of life: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." The path to eternal condemnation with God is wide, encompassing all religions, sins, carnal desires, and self-righteous good works. The path of salvation, however, is narrow because true saving faith in Christ and genuine repentance from our former lives in sin is the only way to a restored relationship with our heavenly Father. All who have yet to embark on this course with God and give their lives to Him simply need to follow Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Most believers can attest that becoming a Christian does not make life easier; rather, it often makes it more difficult. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, the life of the narrow path that leads to eternal life is hard. This is due to the trials of this life; opposition from our flesh, the devil, and the world system; and the struggle of surrendering our lives to God. These challenges are why many believers fail to stay on course. Sadly, far too many believers give up when they meet opposition while serving God or see little visible fruit from the work God called them to do. However, the existence of these trying circumstances does not mean we are failing in our service to God or should move to something different. Rather, He often uses these situations to prepare us for greater things.
Let us briefly go back to Joseph's account, starting from Genesis 39:20-23: "And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed."
There are three behaviors Joseph exhibited here that we should mimic when serving God amid trying circumstances or seasons of waiting:
First, Joseph remained consistent in his devotion and service to God, regardless of his circumstances. He could have easily given into dismay following his unfair prison sentence. He could have convinced himself that God could not use him in a situation so dire and seemingly lacking in value. However, as God had before throughout his life, He blessed Joseph's obedience with great influence and respect among those in the prison, to the point that the prison keeper gave him authority despite Joseph's status as a prisoner.
Some relevant verses include the following:
Second, Joseph waited patiently for God to move in His time. Joseph could have easily given into despair, convincing himself that God had abandoned him or that his vision would never come to pass due to his circumstances. However, he remained on course by maintaining an unwavering trust in God and waiting for Him to fulfill His promise in His perfect timing.
Some relevant verses include the following:
Finally, Joseph trusted and obeyed God's will. While God placed him in a situation where he had no choice but to trust Him, it is far too easy for us to view circumstances from our natural perspective and make hasty decisions. Joseph understood that God, in His omniscience, knew what was best for him. This faith and humility enabled him to stay on course.
Some relevant verses include the following:
Thus, like Joseph, by remaining vigilant in our service to God, patient for His perfect timing, and trust in His will, we allow God to empower us to stay the course in all circumstances.
It is crucial to stress the topic of how we finish our lives as believers because some assume God stops using us after a certain age. However, such a misconception could not be further from the truth. Retirement does not mean the end of God's work for and through us. Until you stand before the Lord in heaven, if you are alive and breathing on this earth and have the capacity to serve in some manner, your work for God is not finished, and neither is His for you.
As an example, one of the last things Pastor Winston Wehrman did before he passed away was help lead me into many important aspects of my ministry. For example, he asked me to preach when I had never done so before. Not only was this the start of my preaching ministry, but it also led me into devotional writing where the Lord used me to produce over 200 devotional writings. I owe Pastor Wehrman in indescribable debt of gratitude for being faithful to God and encouraging me to be in ministry.
Another crucial concern in finishing well is to avoid becoming lax in our obedience and reliance on God. Far too many people who in earlier years served God mightily made costly mistakes or fell into sin towards the end. For example, Moses misrepresented God in striking the rock twice and was thus prevented by God from bringing Israel into the Promise Land. Another example is Solomon, who, despite his immense wisdom, fell away from God towards the end through his pagan wives.
The life that stays on course even to the very end is one that is fully surrendered to God. Some relevant verses include the following:
No matter your age, circumstances, the results of your work, or any other matter, if you are seeking God and obeying Him through the power of His Holy Spirit, He has charged you to stay on course and continue serving where you are. Joseph provides an excellent example of this life during his imprisonment. First, he continued to serve God despite his horrible condition, refusing to allow discouragement or disbelief deter him. Also, he waited on God's perfect timing for Him to fulfill His promise. Finally, Joseph trusted that God's will was best for Him, even when that brought him into difficult circumstances. Through mimicking these behaviors and fully surrendering our lives to God as living sacrifices, He will empower us to consistently serve Him in all circumstances, including the difficult ones He uses to increase our faith and dependence on Him.