"… speak to Pharaoh for me …" — Genesis 50:4
Twenty-six years have passed since Joseph was "put in charge of the entire land of Egypt." The famine was now a memory, and it appears that Joseph’s influence was beginning to recede. Joseph was 56, about halfway through his 110 years. By the end of the chapter — and the end of his life, he isn’t sending messages to Pharaoh at all. Instead, he is promising his brothers that God would come to their aid and bring them up out of Egypt.
I’ve lived long enough now to see that new stars rise. Old leaders are sometimes put out to pasture to make room for the young. Sometimes the stars of yesterday are forgotten in the fireworks of today.
All of this would be terribly unfair, if God didn’t have much bigger plans for all of us. Joseph’s rule in Egypt came about to preserve a nation and a family. That was the plan of God.
But what is the lesson of the last half of Joseph’s life? Here’s the lesson. God doesn’t need bright lights and cameras to make your life significant. You may die in utter obscurity. You may say goodbye to the living by telling them to hope for better days. But God hasn’t used up your usefulness. God’s plan for you is too big to fit inside 70 years or 110 years or 1,000 years. It’s too big for a little kingdom like Egypt to contain.
Soon after Joseph was made ruler of the land, a runner ran before his chariot to say, "Make way! The ruler is coming. Step aside." But now there weren’t enough chariots in Egypt to carry, nor enough voices along the Nile to announce the plan of God.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.