Bear with it like the cupbearer

Part 1

So today, I really felt like God hadn't spoke to me personally in a while. I felt somewhat sad and distant from God.  Just because I write this blog, please don't think I'm there and I've made it and I am always hearing from God.  I'm not.  And this is my journey of that.

Anyways, I like to picture God as loving us so much that He is often bursting with things to tell us, if we would just sit down and listen. So I confessed any sin that might have been in the way of Him speaking and asked Him to talk to me.  He showed me this:

I had just made a cafetiere jug of coffee and taken water out of my kettle to do so.  (Stay with me on this, I know this is from God - especially seeing as my homepage was advertising a kettle as I opened up my laptop to write this).  God said that often we can use up what is within us to bless or make something useful, productive and even better.  I had used up water from the kettle to make a really nice cup of coffee.  This is good and far tastier than boiled water.  He then said that actually we can leak or use up what is within us for pointless purposes and for things that are not useful and which will just drain us.  I will now go and refill my kettle to make another cup of coffee, however if I was to just pour the water over the floor, it would be pointless.

Let's use our giftings and our inner resources positively and for useful things and not waste them on meaningless things that are not beneficial to anyone.  Hope that makes sense.


Part 2

So I've been very blessed by the story of Joseph so far in Genesis.  I can't wait to hear more at WCC over the next few weeks, but here is what has struck me so far.

Joseph had a journey.  He went through seasons.  He went through seasons of having favour with his father and enjoying an amazing, intimate relationship with him.  He went through horrific seasons of being bullied by his brothers.  He was sold as a slave and put in prison.  Yet all along, regardless of what seasons he was in, he kept on trusting in God and believing in God's way and God's purposes.  He never gave up.  Genesis 39:23 says 'The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.'  Joseph followed God and trusted Him even through the hard times.  And even in those hard times, Joseph was successful.


Do not think that all is lost and wasted because the season you are in is difficult.  God is still with you, and God can still grant you success in these difficult places!  Keep following God, keep trusting Him.

Neither did Joseph give up or let his past prevent his future.  He kept on going, kept on trusting and kept on believing for more - even when the chief cupbearer who was reinstated forgot to remember Joseph to the Pharaoh.  This was probably the biggest blow - Joseph sat waiting to be released, yet was forgotten about and left in prison for 2 more years!  Did that stop him?  Did that stop him trusting in God?  No.  It just made the story even more amazing, it meant that he was handpicked by Pharaoh, that Pharaoh chose to turn to him rather than just something based on heresay or word of mouth.

God is with you in the difficult seasons just as much as the joyful ones.  Do not let your current situation prevent your future.  Again, keep dreaming, keep expecting and praying for more.  Keep truting and following God.  Never give up.  There is more.