Not Forgotten Genesis 41:1-57

Somerset Maugham, the English writer, once wrote a story about a janitor at St Peter's Church in London. One day a young vicar discovered that the janitor was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, where he prospered, bought another, expanded, and ended up with a chain of tobacco stores worth several hundred thousand dollars. One day the man's banker said, "You've done well for an illiterate, but where would you be if you could read and write?" "Well," replied the man, "I'd be janitor of St. Peter's Church in Neville Square."

-Joseph Remains Faithful When He Feels Forgotten

I. Trust God to Remember vv. 1-13

As we move forward, a lot has transpired in Joseph’s life:

He has been sold into slavery in the house of Potiphar where he rose to prominence because of his integrity

However, his integrity becomes costly when he refuses the advances of Potiphar’s wife

In prison, he rises again and is able to interpret the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s servants

Unfortunately, for two years they fail Joseph and forget him completely

In so many ways, being forgotten and abused is a huge part of Joseph’s story

What about Joseph’s dreams?

In so many ways, the promise that God has a wonderful plan for Joseph seems incredibly distant, even a mockery

However, in spite of all that Joseph has gone through over the last 13 years, God has never forgotten him

This is something that we must cling to, especially when we are going through seasons of suffering:

God is aware of your situation and He has not forgotten you

His intention towards you is just as good in suffering as it is in prosperity

God loves His people and will fulfill His promises to you:

He is going to provide for your needs

He will never leave you or forsake you

He has a purpose for your life

He will bring you into His presence and will never lose you!

We serve a God who sees and knows!

Isaiah 49:14–16

[14] But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;

my Lord has forgotten me.”

[15] “Can a woman forget her nursing child,

that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget,

yet I will not forget you.

[16] Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are continually before me. (ESV)

II. Trust God to Work vv. 14-36

Next, we see that God is working for Joseph’s good

Interestingly, we see this come through dreams again, the dreams of Pharaoh

Pharaoh dreams and the images seem bizarre; they are impossible to understand

God is the one who gives the dreams

God is the one who gives Joseph the insight to interpret them

God has a plan and it extends beyond anything Joseph could have imagined

It turns out, God is working all around Joseph, in and through the natural world, the political world, and the economic life of a nation to fulfill His purpose in Joseph’s life

God is not only working around Joseph, but He has been working in Joseph

There is a shocking humility about Joseph; he enters Pharaoh’s presence without ego and without fear

He simply relies on the Lord to provide the answers, which go right into the need for a leader over the project

Everything points to Joseph being the man for the job, but he does not put himself forward; he simply answers and waits

I think that this is one of the most difficult challenges that each of us faces:

It is never good for us to be passive in the face of difficulty, but we must take care of the action that we take

Sometimes, we are so busy doing things our own way that we never give God the room to operate

Waiting and watching in faith can be difficult, but we must trust that God is at work, even when we cannot see what He is doing!

Bill Irwin was not the first person ever to walk the Appalachian Trail. He was not the only individual to begin in Springer Mountain, Georgia, and conclude on Mount Katahdin, Maine. Other adventuresome souls have hiked the twenty-one hundred miles, endured the snow and heat and rain, slept on the ground, forded the streams, and shivered in the cold. Bill Irwin was not the first to accomplish this feat. But he was the first in this respect: he was blind when he did it.

He was fifty years old when, in 1990, he set out on the hike. A recovering alcoholic and committed Christian, he memorized 2 Corinthians 5:7 and made it his mantra: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

And that is what he did. He did not use maps, GPS, or a compass. It was just Irwin, his German shepherd, and the rugged terrain of the mountains. He estimated that he fell five thousand times, which translates into an average of twenty times a day for eight months. He battled hypothermia, cracked his ribs, and skinned his hands and knees more times than he could count. But he made it. He made the long walk by faith and not by sight. You are doing the same.

III. Trust God to Reward vv. 37-57

Finally, we see that Pharaoh recognizes Joseph as the right man for the job; God has sent him for exactly this moment

After so many years of waiting, Joseph is going to receive the reward for his faith and integrity:

He has become a man filled with the Spirit of God

He is going to have authority in the land, as the representative of Pharaoh

He will have a wife and children, a family that would have seemed impossible from the inside of the prison

Most importantly to our story, God is going to put him in position to bless others, which will bring about the fulfillment of the dreams

Perhaps most poignantly, we see Joseph’s blessings in the names of his sons:

Manasseh-God has made it possible for him to forget his affliction

Ephraim-God has made his life fruitful

This is good news! God remembers and rewards faithfulness

However, there is even better news! There is one who has been faithful and Joseph’s story gives us a glimpse of His story

When we trust in Jesus, our reward is secure; God is doing all of these things through Him

Romans 8:16–17

[16] The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [17] and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV)

Evangelist J. Wilbur Chapman recounted a testimony given by a man in one of his meetings. The man said: “I got off at the train depot one day as a tramp. For a year I had begged on the streets. Badly in need of food, I touched a man on the shoulder and said, ‘Mister, please give me a dime’. As soon as I saw his face, I recognized my aging father. ‘Don't you know me’? I asked. Throwing his arms around me, he cried, ‘Oh, my son, I have found you at last! All I have is yours’! Think of it -- I was a tramp who begged for 10 cents from a man I didn't know was my father, when for 18 years he had been looking for me to give me all he possessed!”