Dungeon Living

All of us are familiar with the story of Joseph’s stay in an Egyptian dungeon as a result of being wrongly accused. In Genesis 39 we discover that Joseph had been betrayed by Potiphar’s wife who accused him of sexual misconduct, even though he was innocent. As a result, he was thrown into an Egyptian dungeon without even so much as a trial. In those days, dungeons were not nice places. Usually prisoners were held in a fortress-like structure that was very primitive, being designed to make life as miserable as possible. And yet, Genesis 39:20,21 says, “while Joseph was there in prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden” (NIV). The phrase, “the Lord was with him,” stands out as a tremendous testimony of God’s love and faithfulness, and also as a encouragement to us, for no matter what we will face in life – dungeons, difficulties, disappointments or set backs – we can always rest assured that God will be with us! God’s word to us is sure: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5, NIV).

Dr. Frank Laubach (1884-1970) knew the same kind of provision as Joseph when he lived alone on Signal Hill in the Philippines. As a missionary who had been commissioned to help develop programs to help people read, Dr. Laubach made it a priority to fill every minute of every day with thoughts about God. Writing in his diary on May 14, 1930, he indicated that this practice was “a matter of acquiring a new habit of thinking.” As a result, he was later to write in August of the same year: “A prison or a dungeon makes no difference if one is with God.” Here was Joseph’s secret! And, here is the secret of many who have gone before us! It does not matter what we have to face in life, if God is with us, and if God is for us, what does it matter what comes against us. As Paul said, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37, NIV). With this knowledge, Hebrews 13:6 says, “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (NIV). Let us rest assured that the Lord will lead and guide us as we reach out and trust Him completely.