“Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually.
Remember His wonders which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,”
“He sent a man before them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
They afflicted his feet with fetters;
he himself was laid in irons;
Until the time that his word came to pass,
the word of the LORD tested him.
Psalm 105: 3-5, 17-19
Among God’s wonderful stories, which display His glory and make my heart glad by demonstrating His strength, is the story of Joseph in prison. I can imagine Joseph sitting in chains, unable to leave his cell or move about freely. His feet were afflicted in his fetters, he was in misery. Day after day, month after month, year after year he looked at the same dreary walls. His heart must have sunk within him. He must have cried out “Why?” “Why am I stuck here, why must I sit here, chained in this cell?”
Was Joseph trapped? Yes. Was he stuck? Yes. Could he find a way to escape? No. Yet Joseph was right where God wanted him. The prison part of this story is just as much a display of God’s glory as is its conclusion. Yes, Potiphar’s wife’s allegations brought him there, and yes his brother’s sinful actions put him in Egypt in the first place, but it was the Lord who sent him. It was the word of the Lord that tested him. He stayed in prison for the term set by God. God was directing his circumstances not only for the salvation of Israel, but also for the testing, refining, and strengthening of Joseph as well.
Now what about my circumstances? Do I have troubles, worries, and pains? Yes. Not nearly to the degree Joseph had them, but I feel my troubles far more poignantly than I do Joseph’s! Do I feel trapped by these circumstances? Yes I do, and in a sense I am trapped, caught, and unable to free myself from them. Until the word of my God has completed His purposes I will be kept in the circumstances He has sent into my life.
Will I groan under these circumstances? Yes, I will groan, but if by faith I can see and believe that God has sent each one for my ultimate good, and somehow for the good of His people, I can rejoice at the same time. If I see that God is glorious in His strength and in His wisdom in how He ordains every circumstance, both in their nature and in their duration, I can be glad and marvel at His wonderful sovereign purposes. I can look forward to His word accomplishing its purpose and to the time that has been set for their completion. What will the result be? God only knows, but I trust that in some measure, my small, God-given afflictions will work themselves out to an eternal weight of glory and a fruitful harvest of blessing for His people.
O my soul, when you feel trapped and find yourself groaning, remember your fetters have been put there by God. Remember his marvels, His wonders, and His judgments. Trust in His perfect timing His perfect purposes, and do not give into unbelief, but glorify Him by seeking the Lord of all strength. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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