Trusting God in Difficult Situations

 John 14                Proverbs 2          Genesis 39-40

 As a pastor I almost always read a portion of John 14 at a funeral. For the Christian especially they are words of great hope that like Jesus those that have faced death with faith have experienced not just death but the breath of new life that is eternity.

 Jesus feels the need to first warn his disciples to not let their hearts be troubled by what they are about to hear. It is a call to trust the father and son that are one. I always smile as I read the interchange between the disciples and Jesus as he tells them they know the way to get where he wants them to go even though they don’t know where they are going to be ask to go. They want to know where he is going, in reality it is a demand to know where they will be ask to go.

 Philip on their behalf demands that he meet their expectation to see things in a way they feel they need to make the path clear. How often do we sit at a funeral wondering where their soul has gone? The truth is that question makes most of us as uncomfortable as the disciples where when Jesus challenges them to put their faith, not in what they can see, but, in the intimacy that he has with the Father.

 Jesus asks the most difficult question when he asks what they believe about his relationship with the Father. Their future relationship and ours is based on the answer to that question. It does come with a promise though that is the reason for our faith. Jesus and the Father will send one to help us know the way to where he is going that we may be with him forever.

 As now part of the oldest generation in my family and my wife’s family I have several times heard one of us say, ‘Now we are orphans.’ We have been left behind to carry on the family name to future generations. What sets Jesus apart is his promise that we will not be left feeling like orphans when he is gone because no matter where we go the Holy Spirit will make him present with us. Our faith in Jesus will be lived out in the way we reflect him to the world and put our trust in him the same way he was about to trust the Father with is future.

 We obey those we trust enough to love. We trust that what they ask of us is for our best interests even when we cannot see it clearly ourselves. This is what we demand of our children but find a greater challenge as we grow older and want our own way.

 Proverbs 2 points us to understanding the importance of whose voice we listen to and the cost of listening to the wrong voices that will tell us what we want to hear.

 In Genesis 39 and 40 we find Joseph, who has been sold into slavery by those closest to him, his own brothers, in captivity near the center of power in the kingdom. Quickly because of his integrity he finds himself the most trusted servant of the Pharaoh and in charge of his household to the point that there is no one to watch over him. Temptation is a part of life and for Joseph it is no different. He has every opportunity to take advantage of his position and abuse his power. We are told that Pharaoh was blessed, not only in the household but throughout the kingdom. God is at work here but sometimes it is hard to see. The only thing that is withheld from Joseph is Pharaoh’s wife in the house. She offers herself to him, free for the taking. Because of Joseph’s integrity and his fear of God, who also makes her unavailable to him, Joseph refuses the temptation.

 Hating being rejected, no matter what the reason, she finds a way to bring false charges against him. Note that he is not given the opportunity to defend himself but is believed and Joseph the slave is now imprisoned, double indignity. Maybe the most fascinating part of the story is that we find that even in prison Joseph’s integrity leads to leadership responsibility and his does it with honor.

 It is important as the story develops, we understand that the next to people that find themselves imprisoned with Joseph are the cupbearer and the baker for Pharaoh. Two of Pharaoh’s most trusted servants and advisors. These would be the two people responsible for the physical well-being of Pharaoh and the food and drink that he enjoyed. They are imprisoned because like Joseph, they have offended Pharaoh.  We are not told their actions or offenses.

 While in prison these two trusted officials are put in Joseph’s care. He makes sure they are cared for and pays attention to them as seen when he notices they are dejected. I find it interesting that Joseph can maintain his trust to the point of caring for others that he notices their suffering and wants to know why they are down. Their lives have been disturbed by dreams that they don’t understand. Joseph tells them that the message in their dreams is from God alone and after hearing their dreams tells them what they mean as revealed to him by God. For this to happen he had to have kept his intimate relationship alive in these very difficult situations. He put his trust in God at all times.

 All he asks for in return as when the trusted advisor, the cupbearer, is returned to his position in the presence of Pharaoh that he remembers Joseph and remind Pharaoh of his faithful service and the blessings he received through Joseph. When the cupbearer is restored to his position of trust and power, he forgets Joseph and enjoys his position once again.

 Today’s reading remind me that we must trust God even when we can see no good able to come from our current situation and trust that in the end God will bless our faithfulness in His time.