The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Yesterday I quoted Selwyn Hughes’ words about how its not our circumstances that matter so much as our inner-stances. Joseph exemplifies this principle, and here are, I believe, a number of his inner-stances. Doing these things helped him to co-operate with God in the process of becoming fruitful in his ‘land of suffering’:

  • He held on tight to his dreams. By which I mean to say he gripped hold of the promises of God. Joseph’s dreams were revelatory. They were the word of God to him;
  • He patiently waited for what God had said to come to pass. He did not lose heart or hope;
  • He faithfully served wherever he found himself. In Potiphar’s home and the prison house; in favourable circumstances and in unfavourable, he took the opportunity to bless others;
  • He considered not only his own interests but also the interests of others (See Philippians 2:1-5);
  • He lived with a strong consciousness of God. This is even reflected in the naming of his sons;
  • He resisted temptation when it came his way. In times of stress we can be savagely and surprisingly assaulted by all manner of temptations. Joseph found strength in God to walk away – indeed, to run!

PRAYER: Lord God, I do not know what may come my way in life, but my prayer is that I will be so inwardly strong in you that I will glorify you in whatever circumstances I may find myself