Liberated authority

 This week's verses are Genesis 41:37-45:

This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning as you are! You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. Only I, the king, will be greater than you.

“See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place you in authority over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. Pharaoh had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no one will move his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.

 These verses describe Joseph's restoration and blessing after a series of hardships. He was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery and trafficked to Egypt. There he found himself in a position of authority, only to fall victim to a #MeToo scam, falsely convicted of sexual assault. He was in prison for two years, neglected by everyone he knew, his career ruined.

So, these verses are a surprising turn of events. His case seemed hopeless. He was a victim of injustice with no sign of it being overturned. And now, through a freak intervention by God, he is not only restored to a position of honor, but even given the highest position possible, including essentially being married to royalty. It is a permanent promotion.

Imagine being in Joseph's position. For two years, you sat in prison, with no hope of release. You're praying, but nothing is happening. You reflect back on how much better your life was before, and about all of the bad things that have happened to you. What hope are you going to have that things will get better? The one guy you trusted to advocate for you turned his back on you as soon as he left.

 The only person who could help him was God, and for two years there was no evidence that anything was going to happen. Imagine how happy he must have been on that day!

Our lives can be like that sometimes. We are stuck somewhere, and we see no change. Our only hope is in God, and even then, we see nothing happening. So reading stories like this should hopefully be an encouragement to us all: God does not let us rot in our prison. His blessing awaits.

It's also an interesting analogy for the authority Jesus gives us. We are given his authority from heaven. In that context, we are like Joseph with his new signet ring, who has the king's authority to command change in the kingdom. It is very much different from the prison that was our world before. We are not only free, but powerful royalty. What a difference! What a blessing!

So, if you're in a place where you're feeling stuck or powerless, meditate on Joseph's story in Genesis. Imagine how he must have felt at each turn of events. And does God love him any less than he loves you? We have been granted clemency from our prisons, thanks to Jesus, and have been given authority in heaven and earth to do his work.