Last week, I had a painfully thought-provokinng conversation with a friend who was trying to deal with a recent disappointment. I could understand her because I’ve often found myself in that same position saying the same words she kept repeating to me, “I hear you, but it still feels like God has forgotten me.”
I think sometimes the key to making it through those difficult times is accepting with grace the seasonal blessings of God. Just because we don’t get a blessing when we think we should, doesn’t mean that we are forgotten by God. It just means that our season hasn’t come yet. As cliché as it sounds, only God really knows why things do or don’t happen for us. But one thing is for sure: God has not forgotten about us or His promises to us. Luke 12:6-7 reminds us that as God takes care of the sparrows and they are not forgotten by God. He also cares for us. “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Think about the disappointment and frustration that Joseph must have felt when he was sold by his brothers into slavery, falsely accused and sent to jail…and then forgotten about in jail when promised he would be released.
Genesis 41 is not clear on what Joseph did for the two years he was in jail after being forgotten by the cupbearer. When he is brought to Pharaoh to interpret the pharaoh’s dream, he is very cautious only saying that God would give the interpretation. This answer indicates that he is no longer the attention-seeking youth who openly enjoyed being his father’s favorite.
I always wonder what kind of prayers Joseph prayed while in jail. The names he gave his children after his release imply he was honest about the pain that he experienced. Genesis 41:51-53 says, “Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Joseph acknowledged God’s sovereign hand in his life. We can follow his example that despite what may seem and feel like heartbreaking suffering, God will bless those who remain faithful. While we wait for and experience the changing seasons of our lives, we have to learn to trust God’s voice when we can’t see his hand.
Amazingly, Joseph still openly trusted in God…how many of us can say the same thing when we’ve felt like we’ve been forgotten by God? Many of us then say, “it’s the devil” when in fact it’s God waiting for time to catch up with the blessings that he has for us.
Shewanda Riley is the author of the Essence best-seller “Love Hangover: Moving From Pain to Purpose after a Relationship ends.” She can be reached at lovehangover@juno.com or www.shewandariley.com.
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