Personal Connection with Genesis 40

It’s hard to say how many hours I have spent in prep for my Genesis 40 sermon at the moment.  I didn’t open the text on the way in to work in the car, but I ran it through my mind a number of times.  As I was thinking about it a number of ideas kept coming to mind.

What is Egypt like?  What is the geographical context?  Should I talk with my Egyptian student to get a context of what he thinks an ancient Egyptian jail would be like?  The jail is described as a pit.  This links it to the previous story but also places the jail in a subterranean location. I was wondering whether it would be an open space with high-ranking prisoners, or whether it would be dank and dark with the dripping of water from the moisture of the Nile River oozing through sandstone.

I have also been feeling my own connection with the story of Genesis 40.  Joseph is stuck.  He is faithful to God in his sojourn in jail, but how long will he have to stay here?  I have felt beaten back a bit in my journey with God.  Having a son who needs homeschooling means that Kelli and I have to do the work of a full-time teacher between us.  I am challenged to do that job as well as I teach my students to do it.  I know that I need to improve my speaking abilities but that will take time.  Do I continue to crawl along on my Ph. D track?  Can Kelli and I sell our house so that we can regain 3 hours each day that are spent in commuting?  These are all unsolved problems and I feel stuck in a bit of a pit.  Maybe preparing a sermon on Genesis 40 and another one on Genesis 41 will show me a way forward.  I have already learned from the example of Joseph, though, that I must remain faithful to God.  Primarily, I am his servant even when life changes and you find yourself in-between.  My only answer is that I must do what God has put into my hands to do with the best of my ability.