God fulfills His purposes in the most unconventional means — well in our minds it seems unorthodox. However, God is in control and knows exactly what He is doing and where it will lead our lives.
Let’s look at Joseph’s unexpected journey. He was a dreamer. Yes his dreams were God given dreams, but Joseph provoked his brothers’ anger by taunting them with his dreams. These brothers then plotted to murder him, but one of the ten convinced the others to sale him to the Egyptian slave traders instead. Then if being a slave wasn’t bad enough, Joseph was accused of attempted rape and sent to prison on one false testimony.
Life with natural eyesight did not look so good for Joseph. He was separated from his family where he lived a comfortable life for his time. He was far from home isolated from his father and one brother who loved him. He worked as a slave. Then he was falsely accused, and thrown into prison, living in who knows what kind of horrid conditions. He was tucked away and hidden from the comings and goings of mainstream society.
In Genesis 40, Joseph met two men who were thrown into prison because they made the king of Egypt angry. Joseph interpreted their dreams, and he said to the cupbearer, “. . .when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison” (Genesis 40:14 NIV).
Joseph had been forgotten and asked to be remembered. Three days after Joseph under divine direction of God interpreted the dreams, all went well with the cupbearer. However, the cupbearer forgot about Joseph.
Sadly, centuries later, people in prison are just as forgotten as Joseph was. Eventually, even the families of incarcerated loved ones grow weary of the weekend trips as well as becoming so financially burdened, they can no longer support their loved ones behind the concrete walls.
The families of inmates are unknown, because many do not openly share about their struggles. There are many reasons families of offenders hide their distress — fear of judgment and condemnation are at the top of the list.
And honestly, that’s what my family and I have been dealing with for almost three years now. We’ve kept it as quiet as possible, telling only a few about our “secret.” And with the passage of more time, we would tell a few others. Then a few more. And a few more. Our circle of those who know has been expanding.
Recently, the Lord has moved it upon Dewey Moede to ask me to share our unexpected journey on For God’s Glory Alone Ministries site. After much prayer and consulting my family, I agree God desires for me to share our story. Here’s the reason:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV).
God never forgets us. He has comforted me and my family through our trials and troubles. Therefore, we pray that with our story we can comfort others who are going through the “secret” struggle of living with a loved one who is in prison.
I believe it is time to come out from hiding behind the shame and fears the enemy casts upon us. Jesus defeated the enemy on the cross. We are victorious!
Also, we pray as I share our story, that this brings awareness to those who have no idea about what challenges families of incarcerated loved ones face and for the body of Christ to be able to rally around them so these families do not continue living in their own walled fortresses.
God had plans for Joseph’s life that were to be fulfilled, and God accomplished His plans for Joseph in an unexpected manner from our human finite point of view. God has plans for my incarcerated son, Stephen Whitworth, that are yet to be fulfilled. We are in the waiting season.
Just like with Joseph, it is during the period of dormancy that most inmates are forgotten.
Therefore, I will be sharing our story publicly with you, the readers at FGGAM, to remember Stephen and to pray for the calling God has for him. And also to bring awareness to remember others who are in prison and their families by praying for them too.
The Lord knew what He was doing with Joseph. And the Lord knows the best way to work His plans in the lives of incarcerated men and women, including Stephen. God has not given up on them, and neither should we. Or their families.
In my next post, I’ll begin to share about our unexpected journey.
Additional reading on An Unexpected Journey:
Sing Hosanna – An Unexpected Journey
From Control Freak to Jesus Freak
How I Survive the Pain of Mother’s Day
© 2014 Shonda Savage Whitworth
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