"Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." (Gen 40:23)
During this set of passages, Joseph has given comfort to the butler of Pharaoh during a short jail stint by interpreting a dream from the Lord in his favor. The butler was supposed to repay this kindness by giving a good word to the Pharaoh to get Joseph out of the prison (he was falsely accused of trying to rape Potiphar's wife.) Instead of remembering Joseph when his interpretation came true, he forgot Joseph's imprisonment as soon as he was freed.
Human nature is like that, isn't it? If we are in trouble or distress, we are overcome with humility and cry out to God to save us. Once, we are placed back in a comfortable position where our worry and terror have abated, we are much less humble and revert back to the way we lived our lives before. I think part of our fallen state after the garden has left us with woefully short term memories, especially when it comes to remembering our worship of the Lord.
My family is still in the washing machine of this recession and it has been a journey of faith. While we certainly did not lead ostentatious lives before, we have learned to live a little leaner as we could to cut back. My wife has become quite a good cook and we certainly eat pretty well, as my stomach can attest.
Our faith too has been renewed. Stepping off the rat race of business for a short time, my soul finally had time to breathe. Genuinely a terrible burden and weight was lifted off and my soul's thirst for the Lord was satiated. The Lord and I have had time to rebuild our relationship. And one of the first things that He did was to rebuild my marriage, which had been showing strain that my wife and I did not notice in the midst of our busy lives. We are so grateful for the Lord in doing that for us. He placed more importance over our marriage than over our material wealth.
Should I ever find my footing in my career again, my challenge in terms of faith will be in remembering and continuing to cultivate my relationship with the Lord when I am busy with the cares and challenges of the world. Ultimately, since the structure of my life and marriage is dependent on the Lord, it will make the difference between success and failure in my life as well.
Why do I say this? Because the Lord straightened out my life in such a way that he took a broken man who felt so alone in this world, and gave him love and wholeness. The Lord truly saved me, gradually righting my destructive path, and then He gave me a wife who also was changed fundamentally by knowing God so much so that her whole personality and life goals were transformed. It is in this changed state that we are compatible with each other. The Lord gives us the kind of blueprint in which our new personalities live in harmony and symbiotically toward a common purpose. Should we ever drift away from the Lord and revert back to our old selves, we would surely disintegrate in our marriage as well. That was part of our problem that the Lord fixed for us during this season.
There are many challenges for us economically, but deep down I believe we will get through this into better days. How we handle better days will be a true test for us in faith, and today's scripture is surely a reminder that we must remember the Lord first in everything. For the butler in Joseph's story, it wasn't a big deal to forget, but for my family, it will mean the difference between a family that grows closer to each other and a family that withers and falls apart.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your word today. Help me to keep our bonds of communication strong and to have a heart of worship in everything that I do. In doing so, I know that all the pieces of my life will fall into its proper place. You will help me to make it as You deem good and I am so glad to trust You in everything. Thank You for what You've done for our family - we are only together because of You, and it has been the greatest blessing of our lives. To You be all the glory in everything, In Jesus' name, AMEN.
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