Opening Prayer: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.”

Daily Scripture Reading:

• Genesis 42:21
• 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
• 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Yesterday we discussed the empty cistern that Joseph was thrown into but in other translations it is called a pit. Within the narration of Genesis 37 we don’t get much of a glimpse into Joseph’s reaction to being attacked, stripped, and thrown into the pit by his brothers but in the passage we read today in Genesis 42, we see the brothers admit he was distressed and pleading for his life. Obviously.

Don’t forget Joseph was a real kid. Don’t assume he gave up his robe and jumped into the pit without a fight. Imagine him bloodied and bruised at the bottom of a hole, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Imagine him yelling, begging, until his voice went hoarse. Imagine the fierce anger of a 17 year old young man melting into the fear and desperation of a boy. Imagine the panic he felt when he realized that the life he had known and the one he assumed he would have was stripped as quickly as his coat. I bet he just wanted his dad.

Have you ever been there? Has the world ever thrown you such a hard curve you didn’t even recognize your own life? Have you ever been at the bottom of a pit screaming up to the silent betrayal of everyone you thought had your back? Has the darkness of the pit ever overcome the light of your dream? When our expectations of how it should be are slaughtered like the goat the brothers used to cover up their crime, what are we left with?

There is no doubt that today’s scriptures are challenging when we find ourselves in a pit. The chasm of suffering does not feel light and momentary most of the time. When our flesh is bleeding, it is difficult to remember our souls are being renewed and fixing our eyes on anything is hard in the darkness of the unknown. We feel crushed- not merely hard pressed. We feel like we are in despair, not merely perplexed. We look around and feel abandoned, not merely persecuted. We assume the dream is destroyed, not mere struck down.

It is easy to trust in abundance and favor. It is difficult to trust in the pit. But a soul that has fought hard to not lose heart, like we read in 2 Corinthians 4:16, will be stronger for the journey ahead. Sometimes our expectations have to die to make room for the real dream.

Jospeh’s cries did not reach his father’s ears, but yours do. If you find yourself in the pit of suffering and darkness today, call out to him and watch Him come running. He may lift you out of those circumstances, or He may climb down into the pit with you and comfort you with His presence. Suffering is the pits, but your Father is mighty to save.

Today’s Big Questions: Do you find yourself in a pit of suffering today? Can you name your pit? Spend a moment remembering the past pits that God has gotten you through and let it strengthen your heart.

Prayer Response: If you are in a pit, it is okay to feel distressed and plead for your life to your Heavenly Father just like Joseph did. We don’t need to clean up our prayers for God. Cry out to Him from your pit.

Optional Action Step: A lament is defined as “a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.” There is a whole book of the Bible called Lamentations! The Psalms are full of laments as well, cries from the pit. Read Psalms 42 and 43 today and consider writing your own lament about your suffering.

Closing Prayer: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

Opening Prayer: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.”

Daily Scripture Reading:

• Genesis 37:23-24
• Jeremiah 2:13
• Isaiah 44:3
• John 4:14
• John 7:37-38

Cistern: noun, a reservoir, tank, or container for storing or holding water.

Water is life. We cannot live without it. That hasn’t changed since Joseph’s brothers threw him into an empty cistern. What has changed for most of us is the ease of access to water today. In Biblical times, and still today in some countries, people had to travel, gather, and even fight for water.

That is why one of the names Jesus gave Himself was “Living Water.” We also see references to the Holy Spirit being a river, or being “poured out” like water throughout the Bible. Jesus knew that this would get the attention of the agrarian society He spoke to. He knew they knew water was life.

I guess Joseph was thankful the cistern he was thrown into was empty. But that cistern wasn’t being used like it had been designed to be used. It provided no life because it was empty, and an empty cistern is useless.

I know that the Samaritan woman at the well was thankful she met Jesus, as she trudged shamefully in the heat of the day to collect water. Her interaction with and sharing of the Living Water led to many from her town believing (John 4:39). She was so filled up, it just poured out to all those around her.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are designed to be filled to overflowing with His life-giving Spirit too. We are to show the world what life with Living Water looks like. If our cisterns are empty, it is because we are digging them ourselves (Jer. 2:13). If we are parched, it is because we are thirsting for the temporal.

We are not guaranteed this life is going to go our way. We don’t know when a betrayal, a pit, a false accusation, a life-altering turn of events is right around the corner for us as well. No matter how hard I look, I can’t find the formula in Scripture that ensures all my dreams will come true. But what is a grantee is God’s presences in every circumstance. He longs to fill each of us in every situation with His Spirit. In fact, in John 3:34 it says, “for God gives the Spirit without limit.” That is a well that will never run dry.

Today’s Big Questions: Today do you feel filled up by the Holy Spirit’s presence or does the cistern of your heart feel dry. Are you thirsty for the Living Water or for the temporal things that will never satisfy?

Prayer Response: Pray Isaiah 44:3 to the Lord today. “Pour your water on my thirsty heart and your streams on my dry life. Pour out your Spirit on my family and your blessings to my descendants.”

Optional Action Step: Get alone in a quiet room or closet and play your favorite worship song. Lay on your back or kneel down and just soak in the Holy Spirit’s presence. Ask Him to fill you to overflowing during this time.

Closing Prayer: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

Opening Prayer: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.”

Daily Scripture Reading:

• Genesis 37:23, 31-33
• Colossians 3:12
• I Peter 5:5
• James 4:10

My 10 year old daughter has a “unique” style. She has been opinionated about her clothes since she could slip a tutu on and no matter how “colorful” she looks when she emerges from her room each morning, I know that every piece of clothing, every pair of shiny high tops, every accessory, and every bit of purple dye and glitter in her hair was very much intentional. Though most of us wear less sequins than my girl on a daily basis, none of us clothe ourselves on accident.

Joseph needed a change of clothes. The robe representing a father’s sinful favoritism and a son’s youthful arrogance wasn’t the right fit for the next season. Though the brothers thought they were stripping Joseph of his destiny and destroying his honor, they were really just helping him out of some colorful self-importance that would be cumbersome on the journey ahead.

The verses we read today in Colossians and I Peter both mention some wiser outfit choices. We are told to clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, and humility. We are to put these attributes and attitudes on as daily and as intentionally as my daughter chooses her glitter and jewelry.

James 4:10 tells us that when we humble ourselves before the Lord, He will lift us up. The Lord is about to lift Joseph up out of that cistern as well, first in the form of Midianite Merchants, then as an important servant in Potiphar’s house, then as a dream interpreter to Pharaoh, and finally as a savior to his family and all of Egypt. But before any of those new dreams could become a reality, the pride of his first dream needed to be stripped off of him, just like his robe. When the Lord lifted Joseph up, he was humbled.

As you choose to clothe yourself today in compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience and humility, notice any areas in your life where they are ill-fitting. Like Joseph, we may need to lose a little pride for them to fit properly.

Today’s Big Questions: Do you need a change of spiritual clothes today? Are you wearing the heavy robe of pride or arrogance in any areas of your life, or in any relationships?

Prayer Response: Ask the Holy Spirit to be your spiritual tailor today. Ask him to make the necessary alterations to your attitude so that you are clothed in compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, and humility. Confess any areas of pride or arrogance.

Optional Action Step: As you get dressed today, declare Colossians 3:12 over yourself, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Consider posting this verse in your closet or on your bathroom mirror.

Closing Prayer: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  -Ephesians 3:20-21