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“Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.After they had been in custody for some time, ⁵ each of the two men – the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison – had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.”NIV

“…and each dream had a meaning of its own” (5).

You might say each life has a meaning of its own. It has its own pathway and its own outcome.

On Monday morning, I was out of the house early, going for a run. For much of the time I saw no-one. That was fine, being by myself, going at my own steady pace. But after a while I was overtaken by a younger woman and she was soon out of sight. That was where comparison could have set in. But if it was likely to, I quickly dismissed it. She was probably close to half my age anyway; and even if I am passed by fellow 64 year olds, what does it matter? I’ve never been fast. I am a ‘plodder’. I’m not training for the Olympics, I’m just jogging for health and fitness (and it has the fringe benefit of clearing my mind and clarifying thinking). I think I got what I needed to out of the run. I didn’t have to win.

Comparisons are odious. This is what Peter discovered when he got inquisitive about John’s destiny. Basically Jesus told him to mind his own business, and to just get on with following Him (John 21:18-21). Jesus had a tailor-made purpose and destiny for Peter. It was different to John’s. Yes, they were both disciples of Christ. They had so much in common. But different life stories were being written by the Divine Author.

God was also writing different scripts for the 2 men Joseph met in jail. One had a happy ending; the other did not.

The truth is that as no two snowflakes are the same, no two people are the same either. John Stott once wrote something like this: ‘We are not to imagine that we have all been mass-produced in some celestial factory.’

Indeed!

“Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.”NIV

“Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined” (verses 2,3).

Reading the passage again this morning, I saw something I don’t think I’ve seen before. Pharaoh “put” these two servants in the same place where Joseph was being kept. But the sub-text is that God “put” them there. This was a divine appointment. It was God’s intention that these men should meet Joseph; that Joseph should meet them. The Lord saw to it that their paths would cross for a time, and Joseph was able to speak into their lives.

Many years ago, walking through Leeds one day, I felt I should move across the city in a different direction to the one I’d originally intended. As I did so, I encountered a young couple from the church. I think they were amazed to see me, and said  ‘We were just on our way to phone you! We need to have a chat.’ Some may say, ‘Well what a coincidence!’ Maybe it was. But I prefer to see it as a ‘God-incidence’. I believe in a God who arranges our diaries and sets up meetings we may never plan. (Sometimes in places we wouldn’t choose either!)

PRAYER: Sovereign Lord, this day and every day may I be so led by you that I find myself in the right place at the right time, so that I meet the people you want me to meet and speak the words you want me to say. Please make me a ‘channel of blessing’ today.

“Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.”NIV

“The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them” (4).

I heard a well known preacher say something like this: ‘The best place to serve the Lord is wherever He sets you down.’

Whether in Potiphar’s home, or in the prison house, Joseph served where he was put.

Joseph was still carrying responsibility in prison. He had different tasks, and was working in a different location, but he was still willing and able to serve. Even in prison, it would seem, his leadership qualities were recognised.

We can be so fixated on our circumstances being far from ideal that we miss the opportunities to serve. May God forgive us. They are always there, if we but have eyes to see them.

PRAYER: Lord, please give me eyes to see every opportunity you give me to serve – especially when life is not turning out as I hoped.