In the Pit

“Then they took him and cast him into a pit.”  -Genesis 37:24

Joseph was his father’s favorite. Subsequently, he was despised by the rest of his brothers.

Joseph’s brothers plotted against him to kill him. Instead of killing him however, they threw him into a pit and then sold him into slavery. But God had a different plan.

Joseph did not know that the pit was the door to his destiny.  When he was thrown in the cistern by his brothers, I am sure he did not think God had anything to do with it.  But after his journey of years of imprisonment in Egypt and his subsequent elevation as second in command of Egypt, Joseph had discovered a lot more in hindsight than he could have seen for himself in the moment. Joseph effectively saved Israel and the surrounding nations from a drought that would last 7 years because of his faith in God.

There are several reasons God uses the pit in our lives:

• The pit is for our healing & restoration- so we can walk in integrity (wholeness)
• The pit is to increase our dependence upon God to supply all our needs “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
• The pit is for our character development and maturity

We cannot effectively get ourselves out of the pit in our own strength. But, we can speed up the process by forgiving those who have wronged us, realizing that we cannot avenge ourselves of any wrong done to us, and being faithful in the small things in order for God to promote us. When we have been faithful and our heart is pure before God, God is then able to elevate us to the next place.

Do you find yourself in a pit right now?  Make sure you are seeking God in this place and keeping your heart pure before Him.  If God can find us faithful in the small things, He will elevate us to greater things.

The Darkroom of Calling

"Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.  But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him..." -Genesis 39:20-21

Do you know what a darkroom is?  Darkrooms were used as one of the first methods of developing film. Wikipedia says of darkrooms: "From the initial development to the creation of prints, the darkroom process allows complete control over the medium."

Often when we begin on our walk with God, we have big ideas and big visions for what He wants to do with us.  Somewhere down the line though, disappointment or circumstances get in our path, perhaps through no fault of our own. We can wonder what God is doing with us during these times.  "But God," we might say, "I thought You wanted to do A, B, or C in my life!"

At this God invites us to wait on Him, to be still before Him and “wait” on what He is going to do.

This waiting place is not an idle place however; it is a place where we are to be faithful. Faithful in what?  Faithful to God, in His truth. Faithful to develop our prayer life, even when we feel dry.  Faithful to forgive others, and let Him purge sin out of our hearts. Faithful to seek Him, even when He seems far away.  Faithful with our money, even when we don't have a lot. And faithful with our time and talents, even if we aren't getting many results in the moment. 

We can't try to develop ourselves, or make the process go faster. Only God knows when we are ready. We learn to become secure in God, versus ourselves, our ambitions, money, intelligence, or other people. In order for a darkroom to work it's purpose, there cannot be any sunlight. God uses these places in our lives so that we will learn to trust Him fully, becoming more like Him.

Are you in a darkroom right now? Can you cite times when God was using a "darkroom" to develop you in ways you couldn't see at the moment?  Let us not short-circuit God's processing, so we can be fully developed, and become everything He has called us to be. (James 1:4)