This pic is a flashback about 8 years when Nate was about 2 years old.

Door to Door 

Genesis 39 

Joseph, lesson 9 

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And He was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.  

Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So, Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant, and he made him overseer over his house and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus, the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 

So, he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. 

This narrative of Joseph reminds me of a certain time in my life. After College graduation from Pacific Christian College, I was in Youth Ministry from age 22 to 32. During that time, in my late 20’s, in between ministry jobs, in order to make enough money to support my family, I hit the streets selling burglary alarm systems to businesses. It was a trying time for me and at the same time, one of the most valuable lessons of my life. I would park my car at the end of the street and go door-to-door to each business. Bottomline, my skills as a sales person were lacking significantly. But what I lacked in skill, I made up with perseverance. I couldn’t quit. This was a commission-only sales job. I had a wife and two-year-old daughter who were dependent upon me to pay the rent and put food on the table. 

After several months of lackluster results, one of the businesses I walked into was a Wholesale Florists in Macon, GA. I entered an extended conversation with the young man, whose father had begun the business in another Georgia town many years earlier. The owner had sent out his son to Macon to build the business there. I had a great conversation with the son that day. He asked many questions about my life and my limited experiences. The result was, he offered me a job with a salary; $500 a week. After 10 weeks of selling door-to-door, one actual sale with a commission of $600, this job offer was a huge answer to prayer. 

The job was 6 days a week and about 55 hours a week. I’d never worked so hard in my life. But I had no choice. There weren’t any ministry job offers and I needed to make some money. Before I landed this new job, we were living each day by literally praying, ‘give us this day our daily bread.’ 

This was my first real job outside of church ministry. What an experience. The people I worked with were not Christians but were certainly interesting and colorful characters. How people could get so stressed out about the flower business, was beyond me. But an interesting fact about my hiring came out several months into my job. The manager of the store told me that the father and son decided to hire me because they hoped that God would bless their business if they hired a minister. I always found this funny and a bit silly on their part. Nevertheless, I felt God’s hand in my life, providing me this job and granting me employment to provide for my young family. Who knows, maybe the father and son had read Genesis 39 and believed in the concept of employing a man of God in order to gain God’s blessings. Whether they felt God blessed them, I do not know. One year later I was back in church Youth Minister and enjoyed a wonderful six-year run at the First Presbyterian Church in Macon, GA. 

Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. 

I’ve used my post today on a personal story, which I usually don’t do. Nevertheless, we will dig more into the narrative of Joseph next time and especially touch on the principle of God’s Providence in the lives of men and women. The big picture is that God is moving Joseph in a direction toward a high level of authority in Egypt so that through Joseph, God will save His chosen people from physical calamity. But Joseph’s road to success was filled with many detours. Sometimes we can see and feel the blessings of God and other times it ‘seems’ He has removed His hand of blessing. What we see is not always the reality of what is going on. 

Dear Father, Your work, seen and unseen, displayed openly and hidden, is a wonder of wonders. I trust and know Your work in our hearts and souls is always taking place, whether we can see it or not. By faith, in all situations, we know that Your are at work to accomplish Your perfect purposes in our lives. We are always blessed, whether it feels like it or not. All praise to You for Your glorious plan of redemption. Amen.