“Oppressed in fetters were his feet;

His life was put in iron

Until such a time as his word came to pass,

The Word of Yahweh refined him.”

(Psalm 105:18-19)

Why did God permit Joseph to spend several years in Pharaoh’s dungeons? Certainly, God’s timing was such that placement in the prison would introduce Joseph to Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer, which would be the means by which God would introduce Joseph to Pharaoh. Yet, surely, why did Joseph have to suffer in chains for so long — first to the Ishmaelites and then to the Egyptians? David tells us the answer: God was refining him. And by what means was Joseph refined? By the Word of Yahweh — the covenant promises of God. 

What is God’s normal means of refining His people? Most commonly, it is through trial and strife. Until we face times of suffering — what David would call “walking through the valley of the shadow of death” — we typically will not grow. Muscle strengthens when it is pushed and tested. Our minds increase in the ability to understand hard concepts through rigorous mental exercise. Likewise, our faith grows when we face persecution and struggle and are forced to rely on God even though we may not understand his design and long-term plan. In cases such as this, God’s Word is and must be enough. 

How often we get impatient with God’s timing and look with jealousy at others who have achieved what we have not been able to achieve in life. Nevertheless, it is God who sets the times and places and it is God who ordains both our successes and our failures. The question we should be asking is not, “Why has God not permitted me this or that,” but “What is God teaching me during this season and how shall I grow and be refined as I trust in His Word?” Even after Joseph interpreted the dreams of the Baker and the Cupbearer, it was still another two years before Joseph was lifted from the dungeon (Genesis 41:1). During that time, Joseph was being refined into the man who God would later use to preserve His covenant people. Refining is a process, it takes time, and it is done only in accordance with God’s Word.