Bouncing from cistern!
Verse for Today: Monday, October 15, 2012
Genesis 37:23 – So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him off his robe and they took him and threw him into a cistern.
We are confronted by a world which gives us evil in return for the good things we do for it. This chief agent of our enemy is busy plotting against us to destroy us. It wants to deprive us of our standing and will do everything possible to strip us off our testimony. Our enemy is jealous of the blessings that we receive from the Father. We are often an inconvenience to them because we react to their evil ways and refuse to join in their wicked ways. They forget that we love them and seek after their welfare. They refuse to acknowledge our good gestures and sacrifices for them. It is unimaginable that a 17-year old would go search for his nomadic brethren for days together risking his own life. Joseph definitely came to his brothers with love from their father. But they hated and rejected him and refused to recognize him as their brother. They wanted to eliminate him because his very presence was repulsive to them. This is the kind of response that we can expect from those who pretend to be our brothers or sisters. One can imagine the extent to which the hatred of his brothers would have hurt Joseph. They greeted him with contempt and mockery and with their brutal plan to eliminate him. He cried and begged them for kindness, but they despised him all the more. It is hard to reconcile with the fact that while their own younger brother was crying for life, the elder brothers had the tenacity to enjoy a meal. But the God of Joseph was with him even in the cistern to sustain and strengthen him. God had a plan for Joseph and He fulfilled it no matter who tried to sabotage it. The God of Joseph is with us today in our difficult circumstances when the world tries to forsake us in its dark and deep cisterns.
Dear reader, are you exasperated in life because of the hatred and contempt you face every day? Are you facing evasion, rejection and resentment from those who are around? Perhaps you are in a damp and cold pit of financial difficulties, joblessness, difficult boss, unfriendly colleagues, envying neighbours, failing health, emotional abuse or baseless accusations leveled against you by those whom you love. You probably feel that there is no way to escape out of your current predicaments. But rest assured that your Lord is with you in the pits where the world has shut you off. Your Lord has a plan to get you out of the pit to make use of you as a fit instrument. His deliverance will come at an unexpected moment. His ways are mysterious and miraculous. He will appear at the right time to take you out through the tunnel of life into splendid platforms to continue with your special ministries for Him. Remember, your Lord rules and overrules your circumstances to deliver you from the evil schemes of your enemies. But it is for you to wait for His time to come so that you will see His deliverance in your life for the praise of His name. Today you need the grace to wait patiently for the Lord’s time to come to deliver you. Today is the day of trust and faith in the God of Joseph to take you forward even when the world writes you off. There were many occasions when the enemy wrote off God’s servants like Daniel, Jeremiah and Paul, but the Lord brought them into limelight again. He is faithful to fulfill His plan for your life also and will not forget you. The resurgence of Joseph is a challenge for us today to trust the God of Joseph to take us also forward in spite of the seemingly most intimidating and hopeless circumstances we are in.
Psalms 46:2 – Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
Thought for Today
The world might put us into broken cisterns, but it will not be able to sabotage the plan God has for us.
For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact:
