Part 11 in a series on Joseph: Genesis 41:14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
It’s clear from scripture that Joseph had favor and responsibility while in prison, but I find the word dungeon to be noteworthy. Prison is bad enough, but dungeon sounds even worse. It had been two years since he interpreted the cupbearer’s dream. It had been thirteen years since he was sold into slavery by his brothers. Had Joseph resigned himself to being a prisoner for the rest of his life?
I wonder what Joseph was doing when word came that he was to be ‘quickly’ brought before Pharaoh. Think of the impact in our lives if the Secret Service showed up at our door and told us to quickly change because they were taking us immediately to see the President! Had Joseph given up any hope of the cupbearer remembering to speak to Pharaoh about him? Had word spread about Pharaoh’s dreams? What was going through Joseph’s mind as he was brought to Pharaoh?
The important thing is that Joseph had lived righteously during all these years. The Lord was with him and he prospered. He wasn’t a complainer. He didn’t allow his circumstances to negatively alter his attitudes and how he behaved. In spite of such negative and undeserved surroundings, Joseph honored the Lord in how he lived. I think of Job and how he didn’t sin by charging God with wrongdoing (Job 1:22).
When Pharaoh told Joseph that he had heard it said of him that he could hear a dream and interpret it, Joseph responded in humility and confidence. “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Gen 41:16) What a wonderful combination! I picture a strong, young man, with a good spirit about him, acknowledging that while he cannot do it, God can and would do it. He wasn’t fearful. Joseph behaved the same whether he was in the dungeon or in the throne room of Pharaoh. What an example for us.
Don's Devotionals: Learning to love God 
Good devotion, Don. I know in my own life that Jen and I have been reminded of our complete dependence on God. I’ve been reading “Pray in the Spirit” by Arthur Wallis, and he said something along the same lines as you in today’s devotion about our role in God’s work in our hearts and lives: “It is a solemn fact that we may facilitate or frustrate the Spirit’s intercession in us, by our co-operation or the lack of it. Though Christ does not require us for His intercession, the Holy Spirit most assuredly does for His. Here we can no longer be spectators, we must be participators. Christ prays for us in the sense that He makes us the object of His praying. The Holy Spirit prays for us in the sense that He makes us the vehicle of His praying. He prays on our behalf by enabling us to pray, helping us in our weakness, who do not know how to pray as we ought.”I’m encouraged by Joseph’s story, mainly because of how you can see God’s hand in Joseph’s life and Joseph’s commitment to lifelong character.