Genesis 39:20-21 (NRSVue) - And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.
There is much wisdom in the Old Testament.
The account of Joseph is a prime example.
Joseph faced much in the way of adversity.
Sold into slavery by his brothers, he wound up in prison after being falsely accused.
But even in prison, God’s steadfast love never diminished.
God was with Joseph even in prison.
As a result, even Joseph’s jailer was moved to find favor in him.
The New Testament finds Paul and Silas imprisoned.
Their crime? They revealed the truth about the abilities of a slave whose owners profited from her.
But like Joseph, God’s steadfast love was with them.
Other prisoners were moved by their prayers and hymns.
Acts 16:25 (NRSVue) - About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
God’s love remains as steadfast today as it was centuries ago.
The life, death and saving power of the resurrected Christ serve as proof.
But it does not take concrete and iron bars to make a prison.
In fact, many are confined in prisons of their own creation.
Doubt, fear, jealousy, anger, bigotry, and the desire for revenge merely begin a list of self-made prisons.
But the steadfast love of God can be found in even the darkest of prisons.
It can even be found in prisons of our own creation.
We must remember this.
Moreover, our lives must bear witness to this.
As we think about those imprisoned, let us pray for them.
Let us also pray for God to reveal to us how we may best serve them.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 18, 2023.
I will be back here on Friday, August 25, 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment