The Land of My Affliction
Have you ever gone through afflictions in your life? It could be that your afflictions were associated with the place you were living. That is what happened to Joseph. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, and he found himself a slave in Egypt. Then, he was thrown into prison even though he did nothing wrong. He had to stay in prison much longer than he should have, too. That is what I call a "land of affliction." I trust that most of us have been in a similar circumstance in our lives. Did it get you down? Were you defeated by the afflictions? I hope not. God wants us to rise above the afflictions and become victorious by trusting Him.
Joseph did just that. He was given the chance to tell the Pharaoh the meaning of his dreams. He gave all of the glory to God for the interpretation. Then, the Pharaoh made him the second in command over the most powerful country in the world. This was the same land in which he was afflicted. Therefore, when his sons were born, he named the second, Ephraim, "for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."(Genesis 41:52) Isn't that fantastic? He did not have to move. He did not have to flee his afflictions. God worked it out, so that he was fruitful in that very land. God can and does do the same thing for us today. We must not try to run away. We must depend on Him to deliver us and make us fruitful in His way. Sometimes, He does it right where we found our greatest pain.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 43-46.
Joseph did just that. He was given the chance to tell the Pharaoh the meaning of his dreams. He gave all of the glory to God for the interpretation. Then, the Pharaoh made him the second in command over the most powerful country in the world. This was the same land in which he was afflicted. Therefore, when his sons were born, he named the second, Ephraim, "for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."(Genesis 41:52) Isn't that fantastic? He did not have to move. He did not have to flee his afflictions. God worked it out, so that he was fruitful in that very land. God can and does do the same thing for us today. We must not try to run away. We must depend on Him to deliver us and make us fruitful in His way. Sometimes, He does it right where we found our greatest pain.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 43-46.