Shut In – Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years

Another month has passed since we checked in with Noah.

See previous posts in this series here:
Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10: The Animals
Part III: Day 20: The Man Noah
Part IV: Day 30: The Walls
Part V: Day 40: What God Says... He Does
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis

The rain stopped pouring 2 months ago, and Noah and his family are still shut in the Ark.

One hundred days sounds (and feels) like a rather long time. But what about when the days and months turn to years? You may not feel able to relate to Noah’s trials because yours have gone on so much longer. (Ignoring the fact that once he was let out of the ark, his challenges were far from over.)

Well, the Bible has other examples of waiting and suffering… for years.

I have once again been studying a favorite life-history in the Bible – that of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (aka: Israel). You remember… the 17 year old whose jealous brothers heartlessly sold him into slavery and told their father he was dead. (Find his story in Genesis 37-50.)

On the surface, this life of slavery could look like God had abandoned Joseph. But the fact was quite the opposite!

What sticks out to me this time through the account is the phrase:

The LORD was with Joseph.

In chapter 39, as Joseph was enslaved for years and then falsely accused and thrown into a prison in Egypt, we find four clear statements of God’s presence with him through it all. Even the pagans could see this and ended up trusting Joseph with all they owned.

Joseph gives us an amazing example of how to live in years of slavery and prison-life. (For our application think: years of pain, disabilities, grief, betrayal, injustice, lies, or whatever you are facing).

Joseph always:
- served his best to help others succeed
- earned trust and honor from those over him
- refused to sin against God through repeated temptations
- gave God the glory and credit

As a result, look for how many times God blessed Joseph and those he served!

And yet, he was “shut in”… away from his family – and then even away from the responsibilities and respect he had so richly earned as a slave. When a chance finally came to appeal his case, the man who was supposed to help Joseph forgot him…

… for 2 whole years longer.

By this time, 13 years had passed since Joseph was sold into slavery. It could have felt as if the prime of his life was gone. But God’s timing was perfect.

If he had been released 2 years earlier, it would only have been to get out of prison. But at this point, it was to be promoted from the prison to second in command of the entire nation!

“And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?’” – Genesis 41:38

This put Joseph into position to not only save the nation of Egypt through the upcoming famine, but also the lives of his family. (And yes, he was united with them again more than 20 years after being sold into slavery! But you’ll have to read that fascinating history for yourself.)

Our stories will be far different than Joseph’s or Noah’s. But we can still learn from them!

Is God with us? Then He will bless us – even in the darkest times of our lives.

Next Post in Series:
Part VIII: Day 150: Touch Down!