Introduction:
This series takes a creative approach to the Joseph stories. Each day’s reflection imagines what one of the characters might have written in both their diary and their memoirs about the events in that day’s Scripture passage. While this approach sometimes requires us to “fill in the blanks” a bit with regard to what the characters are thinking and feeling, every effort has been made to stay as close to the Bible’s details as possible. The diary/memoir approach underscores how we often perceive—or don’t perceive—God’s hand in our lives.
Deliverance
Read: Genesis 41:1-45
Since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
(v. 39, NRSV)
If Joseph had written in his diary after he had interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker, what might he have said? DIARY: Imagine my elation when my jailers hurried me out of my dungeon and told me Pharaoh had sent for me! (Not to mention how good it felt to have a shave and some clean clothes!) It seems the cupbearer finally remembered to mention me as a reliable interpreter of dreams. But what dreams! When I told Pharaoh what they meant, I half expected him to send me back to prison—or worse. But the next thing I knew I was sporting Pharaoh’s signet ring and running Egypt’s Famine Preparedness Bureau. What a difference a day makes!
If Joseph had written in his memoirs years after this experience, what might he have said? MEMOIR: “In for a penny, in for a pound.” That’s what I thought when I finished interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams. He hadn’t asked me to give him advice, but the situation was urgent, and the words just came tumbling out. In retrospect I can see that my advice was as much a gift from God as the dream interpretation was. And I can also see that it wasn’t just about me. God was working through me to save countless lives. I’m just grateful to have been a part of it. It was the beginning of something big….
Prayer: Thanks you for all the ways you deliver us, O Lord. Help us to join you in that saving work.