Stop and Interpret

The Shocking Message



These weekly devotionals I will be posting come from and are copyright to Pam Iannello, my pastor's late wife who went home to be with the Lord on June 18, 2008.


Learning how to face our family problems through an in-depth study of the troubled home of Joseph.




This devotion is part of the "Family Problems" series.

What's the strangest dream you ever had? If you remember, Joseph certainly had some experience with very meaningful dreams of his own prior to his being sold by his brothers into slavery. Here again is another form of preparation that the Lord brought into Joseph's life, another isolated experience that God put him through in order that he might now effectively minister to the butler and the baker who were imprisoned with him. These men had some serious dreams of their own as we'll discover today in Genesis 40:5-8…

And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

We find here that as Joseph came in unto his fellow prisoners one morning, he looked upon them. He took the time to observe how they were faring during their imprisonment. What a tender heart this reveals in Joseph, that he would lay aside his own confinement to consider others! What Joseph discovered is that these men were in sad shape. In fact, after chatting with them he found that it was not so much the prison that made the butler and baker sad, as it was their prophetic dreams! God certainly has more ways than one to get our attention, amen ladies? It's evident that the Lord was speaking in significant ways to the butler and the baker but they were unable to interpret God's message. What would you do if you were in Joseph's position? How would you help these two sad men? The Bible says he encouraged them to tell him their dreams - Joseph got intimately involved in their lives! You know ladies, when people are without hope, this is a perfect time for you to get involved and enlighten them on the Lord…

Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…

Ladies, the Word of God exhorts us to always be concerned for the sadness of our brethren's countenances. When is the last time you picked up on the heavy heart of another person - saved or lost? I'm sure the butler and the baker appreciated Joseph coming along and talking to them at this particular moment. You see, Joseph's compassion kindly provided them an opportunity to bounce things off a servant of the Lord. None but Joseph, a man who walked closely with God, was better able to discern what His Lord was communicating to these men in their dreams. It is often a great help to those that are in distress to be noticed. Better when life is perplexing them that they are detected by God's people who can lead them to the truth rather than by the world which will lead them away from the Lord who loves them! I wonder how many sad and hurting people the devil has snatched away from God simply because Christians are too lazy or self-centered to stop and converse with the troubled in heart!

Jude 1:22
And of some have compassion, making a difference…

Not only must we learn to look into the causes of the sorrow of others, but our own as well! Stop and interpret the problem - is there a good reason for it? Just as the butler and the baker had to, we must also contemplate who God is and what He is doing in our lives. God's children must never forget that whatever the sorrow is, there is comfort for us all in the Word of God to balance it - and a ministry to carry on…

2 Cor. 1:3-4
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Yes, God's comfort is transferable and intended to be shared - it is not just for our own good! It is our duty as Christians to spread it around. Are you faithful about getting actively involved in others lives as a comforter of the Lord? If not, your personal sufferings are wasted, for when we are afflicted, it is for the good of others! The best comforters are those who know something about personal suffering. Many think that when God comforts us, our hardships should go away. But if that were always so, people would turn to God only to be relieved of pain and not out of love for Him! We must understand that being comforted means receiving strength. Do not make the mistake of trying to distract the despondent from their troubles, but rather come along side them and help them both face and discern the problem with the Word of God. Put God's strength into their hearts so they can triumph over their sorrows! Those in Christ are called to suffer and then called to comfort…

1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Ladies, we SHOULD follow in Christ's steps - but are we?? Only you and God know for sure! Somehow I tend to think the butlers and the bakers suffering nearby know whether or not we are imitating His example.

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003 Meet Ms. Pam

Other Rise and Shine Devotionals
New Beginnings Baptist Church Website