Learning from Joseph

I recently started a historical reading plan on my Bible app and just finished up the book of Genesis this morning. I learned two big things from it today, that one, I had never thought of before, and the other is always a challenge I am still trying to do better at with Gods help. The first that I had never thought of showed me a great example of God's faithfulness in Joseph's life. Most of you may know the story we learned as children, where Joseph was disliked by his brothers because they were jealous of their fathers love for him. They went so far to throw him in a pit, and then sold him into slavery, faking his death to their father. Seperated from his family for what he thought would be forever. He was a good servant, and wrongfully got put into prison. Let me pause in saying, don't you think a lot of us would have wondered if God had left us, and even given up on things after unfairly going through this much already? I don't know,i would hope I would remain faithful as Joseph did, but hopefully you see my point. So instead of being angry with God, he served well in prison, and the Bible says that God provided for and lifted him up, and put him in control of many things for the warden. So even though he had been sold by his own brothers, became a slave, and now unfairly in prison, he remained faithful to God, and God to him. Then he was with pharoahs cupbearer in prison and interpreted his dream correctly for him. He asked the cupbearer to remember him when he got out of prison in three days and to talk to pharoah on his behalf. However, the cupbearer forgot and the next chapter starts by saying two YEARS went by before he interpreted pharoahs dream for him, and pharoah brought him out of prison and put him in charge of all his things. Not a couple of days, not two weeks, not a few months, but two years later...I dont know about you, but after all he had gone through at this point and then staying in prison two years longer after doing something good for someone, wouldn't you have had just about your fill by now?! It was st that moment when I read "two years" that God pointed out His faithfulness to me, and how He always comes through for "his children who are faithful and obedient to Him." It showed me what little faith I tend to have, and how I have gotten frustrated in times past when I am experiencing something "unfair" or going through something that I am wanting God to answer more quickly on. I think Joseph had it a lot rougher than I ever have, so why do I doubt God and His faithfulness?! Thankful His Word is a book of life and truth, and it reveals things like this to me. The second thing I mentioned in the beginning that I have thought about from Joseph's situation, but don't always do this...but at the end of genesis how he was in charge of the food during the famine and he didn't have his brothers killed once he knew who they were and came to him for food. He didn't deny them food. He didn't have vengeance with them or repayfor all the terrible things they did to him. And they did a lot worse than ive ever had someone do to me. And yet ive had a difficult time forgiving and loving them anyway. Joseph got to see his father again, and at the end of genesis after his father died, his brothers were worried if Joseph would now repay them for all they did. He was in a high position and could have but the Bible says he showed kindness to them, and their children. What a portrait of God's faithfulness and the love and forgiveness we can give through Him, but otherwise not possible on our own. Thanking the Lord for His word this morning, and that I have such great access to it, when people on foreign countries have never even seen a copy or heard it before. Some even risk their lives to own a copy of it. I believe we will be more accountable to God as people here in the US who have such great access to His word and the truth, and yet we don't take advantage of the power or study His word, compared to those who haven't had the opportunity to read and hear all we have.