Joseph must have lived up to thirteen years in Egypt before he stood before Pharaoh. His invitation was occasioned by the king’s dream which none of his wise men or magicians could interpret. Joseph’s fame was heralded to the king by the butler who had been a beneficiary of his grace. When Pharaoh praised him upfront, Joseph refused to bite that bait. As our text shows, he rightly put the matter in the hand of God. Though he had correctly interpreted dreams before, he did not assume that it was because of his brilliance.

Our learning and expertise, no matter how vast, will come to nothing without the indispensable factor of God’s presence and guidance.

Jesus reminded the disciples that they could do nothing by themselves. This applies to us as well. The setup in the kingdom is such that we will need to connect with the heavenly grace to achieve anything meaningful here on earth. Even Jesus stated that He could do nothing of Himself. He needed to wait on the Father for His every move. Our learning and expertise, no matter how vast, will come to nothing without the indispensable factor of God’s presence and guidance. As you continue in the month, don’t trust in the arm of flesh. Rather, make the Spirit of God your strength and stay. When Joseph was seen as the solution to all riddles, he simply said, “it is not in me”. Truly, it is not in any of us; it is only by the help of God that we can pull through anything.