Fear Of God // Stand In AweSample

Joseph & the Fear of God

Joseph's life was a rollercoaster. It makes for a great read but it must have been difficult to live through first-hand! To start with, he was sold as a slave by his own brothers. Then he was wrongly accused of cheating with his new owner’s wife, which in turn resulted in him ending up in prison! He stayed in prison for two years, all because of a crime he didn’t commit.

Yet through it all, Joseph’s life went from strength to strength. He realised he had a gift of interpreting dreams, which resulted in him interpreting dreams for Pharaoh. The Pharaoh was so happy with Joseph, he put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. Within a short stretch of time, Joseph had gone from being a slave-turned-prisoner to being the second most influential man in the whole land!

In today’s Scripture, we join the story when his brothers have come to Egypt to buy grain. There is a role reversal, whereby Joseph is no longer the vulnerable one, but is instead the one with all the power. If he had wanted to, Joseph could have taken revenge on his brothers and sent them to prison. But instead he reconciles his relationship with his brothers, out of his understanding of God’s grace and mercy. Even though Joseph’s life had had its challenges, he understood that God had been with him, working everything out for good.

Sometimes we will go through times when God seems distant, where it feels like He has abandoned us. But know that God is always with you, just like He was with Joseph, preparing you to do greater things for Him that you could ever imagine. 

Taking hold of this way of thinking is an aspect of what it looks like to fear God and to stand in awe. It’s a bold declaration to say that even when times get tough, God is still with me, he still loves me and he is by my side. Yet if we can stand firm in the valleys, like Joseph we will watch as God leads us out of those valleys and places us on mountain tops for his glory.