📅 August 9, 2025

🌾 Joseph – Faith That Endures
Devotions from the life of a dreamer with character

👁️ 15.Finding Favor in the Eyes of the Lord
When everything is silent – yet something happens

👣 Introduction

There are moments when we have nothing left in our hands – no control, no solution, no explanation. And right there, grace begins.

Grace is not what we deserve. It is what God gives. Undeserved, unexpected, life-changing.

Joseph stood penniless in Egypt. A young man, sold, forgotten, a stranger. And yet it says: “The LORD was with Joseph, and he found favor.”
Not through strategy. Not through strength. But through God’s presence.

Grace is God’s answer to our helplessness.
And sometimes it’s enough just to be there – and let God work.

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🎯 Devotional

“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”
Genesis 39:21

What is left to a person who has lost everything?
His home. His family. His freedom. His good name.
Joseph had nothing left in his hands – and yet he did not have nothing.
He had God’s presence. And with that: grace.

In Egypt, Joseph was just a slave. In prison – just a prisoner. Without rights, without a voice, without influence.
And yet something began to move. Not because Joseph protested or defended himself – but because God acted. Quietly. Deeply. Personally.

“The LORD was with Joseph.”

That is more than a theological statement. It is a key.
God’s presence was not just a comfort – it was the source of Joseph’s character, his attitude, his hope.
Because God was with him, he did not harden, but kept serving.
Because God was with him, he did not despair, but remained open to the good.
Because God was with him, he did not close himself off, but became a blessing – even in prison.

God gave him favor – not first before Pharaoh, but first with a prison warden.
This shows: grace often begins in secret, long before it becomes visible.

Joseph was not freed immediately – but he was seen.
He did not receive a crown – but he received trust.
He was not on the stage – but he stood in God’s light.
And that is enough.

Grace does not mean everything changes.
Grace means that God is with you, even when nothing changes – and that this very fact changes your heart.

Joseph did not seek favor – he lived faithfully.
And God let people see his faithfulness.
Grace is God’s way of making you visible to others after you have matured in secret.

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🧭 Grace Is More Than a Kind Feeling

Grace is God’s active intervention in our lives:

• Undeserved, but real.

• Unseen, but powerful.

• Unplanned, but always on time.

The Bible is full of people who found grace:

• Noah, in the midst of chaos (Genesis 6:8)

• Ruth, as a foreigner in Bethlehem (Ruth 2:10)

• Mary, a young woman without influence (Luke 1:30)

They all had nothing – except an open heart.
And that was enough.

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🙌 Grace Does Not First Change Our Circumstances

It changes us.

Joseph remained faithful, even though he had no guarantee.
He worked, served, lived – and God opened hearts toward him.
Not through manipulation, but through grace.
Not through power, but through presence.
Not through pressure, but through trust.

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🔍 Reflection – What Does This Mean for You?

• God’s grace is not a reward for performance, but an expression of His love.

• Even in life’s prisons, you can find grace.

• People may overlook you – but God sees you with favor.

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💎 What We Can Learn from Joseph

• Grace is a gift – not an achievement.

• God can direct hearts – even those of superiors, judges, or “prison wardens.”

• Faithfulness in small things makes room for favor in big things.

• A humble heart finds grace – even if the world does not recognize it.

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💭 Practical Questions for Reflection

• Where in your life do you need grace today – instead of justice?

• Are there people to whom you could show grace – instead of judgment?

• Can you recall a moment when you experienced grace – though you didn’t deserve it?

• How can you live today as someone who is under grace?

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📝 Story – “The Job Application That Came Too Late”

Chapter 1 – The Dream

Lea was 26 and full of dreams. After years of studying, side jobs, and unpaid internships, she finally had a big opportunity: a job interview at a foundation dedicated to social justice – exactly her heart’s calling.

She had been praying for weeks. She had revised her portfolio ten times, practiced her interview answers, gathered references. It felt like: “If anything is meant to be – this is it.”

Two days before the appointment, her father suddenly fell seriously ill. Emergency room, hospital, fear. Lea stayed by his side. Day and night. She lost track of time and place.

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Chapter 2 – The Missed Chance

When she returned to her apartment two days later, she saw the note on her calendar: “10:30 a.m. – Job interview.”

It was 2:00 p.m.

Lea stared at the clock. Then she collapsed. Tears. Anger. Disappointment.
“Lord, why now? I asked you to guide me… I was ready. I did everything I could!”

That same evening, she wrote an honest email to the foundation:

“I know I missed the appointment. I’m sorry. My father was unexpectedly hospitalized. I was completely overwhelmed. I understand if my chance is gone. I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity.”

She expected no reply. And no second chance.

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Chapter 3 – The Surprise

Three days later, the reply came. Short. Clear.

“Thank you for your honesty. We would still like to meet you. Tomorrow, 9 a.m. – if you can.”

Lea couldn’t believe it. She read the email five times. Then she knelt down.
Not because she had been so good. But because someone had shown grace.

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Chapter 4 – The Interview

The next morning, she sat in the meeting room – nervous, but calm. The woman conducting the interview looked at her kindly.
“You know,” she said after a few minutes, “we get a lot of applications. Good résumés. Perfect paperwork. But what really matters to us is character – and how people handle difficult moments.”

Lea answered softly:
“I had no control. I just tried to be there for my father. And to be honest.”

The woman nodded.
“That’s why you’re here. Honesty and dedication are sometimes more valuable than professionalism. We’re not looking for perfect people – we’re looking for people with heart.”

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Chapter 5 – The Grace

A week later, Lea got the job. She had not earned it.
Not through performance.
Not through timing.
Not through perfection.
But because someone had looked beyond the surface – and chose to extend grace.

Later, she wrote in her journal:

“I’ve learned: Sometimes God opens doors even when I arrive late.
Not because I was good enough – but because He sees me.
And because His grace is bigger than my mistakes.”

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📌 Lessons from the Story

• Grace means being seen even when you think you’ve messed it up.

• Sometimes God gives you not the fruit of your performance, but the fruit of His favor.

• People who have experienced grace can give it more easily.

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🛠️ Application

• Live today as if you are under grace – not under pressure.

• Look with gracious eyes at people who are otherwise overlooked.

• Pray that God will grant you grace – and make you a channel of His grace.

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🙏 Prayer

Lord,
thank You that I find grace with You.
Not because I have done enough –
but because You have done enough for me.

Open my heart to Your presence.
Open my eyes to Your favor.

Teach me to receive grace –
and to pass it on.

Amen.

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📌 Key Thought of the Day

Grace is not what I earn –
Grace is what God gives me.

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🌿 Blessing to Close

The God who gave Joseph grace
be with you – in your waiting, in your struggle, in your weakness.
May He grant you favor – with people and with Himself.
And may He remind you today:
You are not forgotten.
You are seen.
You live under grace.

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LumenCorde | Daily light for a living soul.

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