Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall. Genesis 49:22.
Joseph regarded his being sold into Egypt as the greatest calamity that could have befallen him; but he saw the necessity of trusting in God as he had never done when protected by his father’s love.
As the caravan journeyed southward toward the borders of Canaan, the boy could discern in the distance the hills among which lay his father’s tents. Bitterly he wept at thought of that loving father in his loneliness and affliction. Again the scene at Dothan came up before him. He saw his angry brothers and felt their fierce glances bent upon him. The stinging, insulting words that had met his agonized entreaties were ringing in his ears. With a trembling heart he looked forward to the future. What a change in situation—from the tenderly cherished son to the despised and helpless slave! …
But, in the providence of God, even this experience was to be a blessing to him. He had learned in a few hours that which years might not otherwise have taught him. His father, strong and tender as his love had been, had done him wrong by his partiality and indulgence. This unwise preference had angered his brothers and provoked them to the cruel deed that had separated him from his home. Its effects were manifest also in his own character. Faults had been encouraged that were now to be corrected….
His thoughts turned to his father’s God. In his childhood he had been taught to love and fear Him. Often in his father’s tent he had listened to the story of the vision that Jacob saw as he fled from his home an exile and a fugitive…. His soul thrilled with the high resolve to prove himself true to God—under all circumstances to act as became a subject of the King of heaven. He would serve the Lord with undivided heart; he would meet the trials of his lot with fortitude and perform every duty with fidelity. One day’s experience had been the turning point in Joseph’s life. Its terrible calamity had transformed him from a petted child to a man, thoughtful, courageous, and self-possessed.
Conflict and Courage p. 73
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Prayer Requests
—–D needs prayer for overcoming the evil he has allowed to creep back into his life. M
—–Please pray for our dear friends, Ron and Marie! They were on an old-fashioned wagon train traveling between Sutter Creek and Jackson this weekend. The horses spooked while going over a dry creek bed and both Ron and Marie were thrown from the wagon. Marie had a concussion and has many bruises and contusions, and Ron had surgery for a broken left wrist and broken right elbow. They are both in their 80’s so we are especially concerned about them healing up well without complications! Also for Ron’s sanity since this effectively ends his guitar-playing and wagon-making for awhile! CH
—–Please pray for Tarah, my coworker who had a head MRI yesterday. They saw something and want to have her take another one. Ronnie Jay
—–Please pray for Kamerah. Either she is relapsing or something else is going on. This is extremely serious as it can be fatal. L
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Dear Friends,
It is always interesting when one’s children reminisce. One such time Esther was reminiscing about a week when
she had plenty of food to eat, but no bread. She said she just did not
feel satisfied. She felt hungry all week because she had no bread to eat
with her meals.
It made me realize anew what Jesus meant when He said,
“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he
that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:35 Only Jesus in our
lives gives us true satisfaction. Without Him, we always feel a
soul-hunger. We are always searching for that which satisfies.
May we partake of that “Living Bread which came down from heaven.” John
6:51 May we daily invite Jesus into our hearts. May we spend time in
loving communion with Him is my prayer.
Rose