Thursday 9 July

Genesis 44:18-21,23-29; 45:1-5, Psalm105, Matthew 10:7-15

God of the wilderness

The story of Joseph is one of the great Biblical sagas, and it follows a familiar pattern: young man in exile, life in danger, labours in a lowly position, becomes successful through faith and hard work. Joseph’s father Jacob has such a story. So did Moses. So did King David. Even Jesus needed time in the wilderness to confront his human ego.

Are their stories so different from our own? If I look back on my life, I realise it’s not comfort and success that have been the great teachers, but the times of exile in some kind of wilderness.