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1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. 5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered, 6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 16 When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread, 17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; 19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord kept testing him. 20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free. 21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, 22 to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom. 45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b NRSV)
God is faithful always. We're not so good always, but most of us at least try. I write this because hundreds of years after Joseph's encounter with the slave-traders, David sits down and writes this psalm about God's faithfulness even in the event that marks this event as one of the most terrible in the history of families. Just this morning (And I'm writing this on Wednesday), Nellie and I were talking about divorce. Okay, that was written badly; she and I are still madly in love, her question was "When did I become aware of divorce as a child?" We were talking about our families as children and this came up. I replied that my grandmother was the first and only person that I knew who was divorced. She had moved into a home that my father brought in behind our house. We didn't see my grandfather much after that for a time, then we started again. I remember as the divorce happened seeing my father cry for the first time which left a deep imprint in my mind and soul. And as I thought about it, most of the families we meet in the Old Testament are not perfect! Adam and Eve, well, they raised two boys, and one of them kills the other. Jesus' own family sought Him out one day suspecting He was not well. And Jesus Himself said the true members of His family were those who did God's will.
There are no perfect families, just as there are no perfect individuals; but we strive to be better as guided by God each day and in every way. John Wesley said we should strive to be made perfect in love in this lifetime; it was something that I said yes to when I was ordained in the United Methodist Church. And I hold to the title of today's devotional, even from bad things, good things one day will come, and more so if we have entrusted that situation to God.
We look to the passage for today, and David goes into detail of Joseph's suffering; betrayal by his own family, sold as a slave by that same family, fettered and shackled as a common slave; but at each level of his suffering, God was with him and lifted him from each level until he was second in command in all of Egypt! Not bad for a betrayed brother and former slave. And at each level, Joseph remembered to share his faith with all with whom he came into contact. Could we do the same?
PRAYER: Loving God, lift us from our current situation which You know better than us; As we endure suffering and pain, or betrayal and rejection, help us never lose sight that we are Yours, and that You are with us, and that we will make it! Grant us peace, patience, and strength; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Set someone free today from whatever has them in bondage or suffering; why not start with you!
Receive my blessings of love, joy, and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
PRAYER REQUEST: A dear longtime friend and reader of ConCafe, Ricardo Gonzalez lost his mother, Elida Gonzalez, last night to Covid-19. Please keep the Gonzalez family in your prayers.
