Joseph was a sensitive young man and also his... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

Joseph asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his lord's house, saying, Why do you look so sad today?
Genesis 40:6.7.

Joseph was a sensitive young man and also his father Jacob's favourite son. His brothers had sold him as a slave. We might have expected Joseph to look sad under these circumstances. He had served Potiphar, his Egyptian master, devotedly and diligently. And this, together with his faithfulness to God, was what caused his imprisonment. If he had been sad in prison, one could have understood it. Joseph must undoubtedly have had times of deep, heartfelt trouble; yet we read nothing of them. He did, however, feel sympathy with his fellow prisoners, when their sadness became clear.

In Joseph's case the Word of God draws our attention to something else: "The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man" (Genesis 39:2). We find these characteristics repeated several times, both in Potiphar's house and in prison and after his release.

It was precisely in troublesome times that Joseph experienced fellowship with God so keenly. It was always the source of his consolation. With all the undeniable disappointments that those close to him had caused, and were still doing so, he sensed that God is faithful, for he was never abandoned, but rather comforted and blessed. So Joseph was able to inquire after his fellow prisoners' distress.

Even today God comforts His children with this purpose in mind: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:2.3).

Today's reading: Isaiah 58:1-14 · Mark 1:9-20