Yesterday, I spoke to one of my very good friends who used to be a born again Christian and even a Sunday School Teacher, but is presently a non -believer, choosing rather to profess that there is no God.
He said something that got me thinking. I have been seeking God about a great need in my life, of which he was privy to. So he said to me - " If there really is a God, why would He not grant your simple wish? Why would He watch you suffer, and turn a deaf ear to your cries. Why do you still choose to believe He even exists?"
Truth is, I had personally asked this same question in the past. There has been dark stages in my life when I have wondered if there really was a God, or if we had been made to believe in some sort of a fable.
During those times I had cried out to God, a stillness felt in my heart. Blinded with tears and doubts, and pockets of anger and frustration. I had insisted the Lord prove to me that He was real. I had placed my requests before Him. But alas! My situation had not altogether changed. Although the Lord had assured me of His Presence and love through words of encouragements uttered by others.
Then I did a soul search, and could not deny that the Lord has always been real to me. That He had taken me on unknown paths, but I could, and would still trust Him. I asked myself why I served Him, and answered from my heart that it was because I loved Him, and not because of what He could give me. That settled my doubts!
This experience however took me to analyse the life of Joseph. A young guy who obviously loved God, and had been cruelly treated and betrayed by his own brothers who sold him off as a slave.
"Where is God?" Joseph must have asked. However, Joseph did not stop worshipping God. Even though he was treated as a slave, very unfairly so, he still chose to honour, serve and obey God. That is why he was able to say to Potiphar's wife when she tried to seduce him - How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? Genesis 39:9
Joseph's misery did not end there. He was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, and thrown into prison. Yet even in prison , he still served God and even assured the King's Butler and baker that the God he served could interprete their dreams, and went ahead to interprete them accurately -
“Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” Genesis 40
Joseph was steadfast in his faith in God . Through thick and thin he served God. He was pliable in God's hand. And the potter did with him as he chose. Even in his dark moments, God gave him snippets of favour. And then at God's own time, He elevated him in a profound way.
Joseph was not serving God because of what He could get from Him, or he would have quit in the face of trials. Do you have the same heart as Joseph? Why are you serving God? This is a question worth answering.
WHAT IS NEXT?
