📅 November 9, 2025
🌾 Joseph – A Faith That Carries Through
Devotions from the Life of a Dreamer with Character
⚖️ 12.When You Do Good and Get Punished
Holding on to What’s Right – Even When It Hurts
👣 Introduction
There are moments in life that shake us inwardly. Moments when we do what is right – and yet receive wrong in return. Joseph knew that feeling well. He had bravely chosen to flee from sin, to resist temptation. He had chosen purity over convenience. And for what? For a lie that sent him to prison.
Experiences like these challenge our faith. They make us ask, “Why is faithfulness worth it when it hurts?” Yet right in this tension the Bible reveals a truth deeper than any injustice: God’s faithfulness does not end where human injustice begins.
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🎯 Devotion
The prison door closed behind Joseph like a final verdict. The dark hallway, the cold stone, the smell of dampness – all of it showed how far he had fallen. Not because he sinned, but because he was faithful. His heart must have ached, not only from the injustice, but also from the silence that followed. No angel appeared. No flash of heaven. No visible intervention.
But while the world locked Joseph in a dark cell, God locked Himself in with him. The Bible captures this moment in a sentence carrying more comfort than a thousand explanations: The Lord was with Joseph.
Not when the doors opened.
Not when the dream continued.
But right there – in the depth, in the pain, in the misunderstood places.
Joseph could have grown bitter. He could have said, “That’s it. Why stay faithful?” But he didn’t. Instead of giving up, he began to serve. Instead of withdrawing, he paid attention to others. Instead of losing his faith, he lived it out right in the place where no one could see it.
In prison it became clear that his faith was not built on success, recognition, or visible reward. It was built on God – and that was enough. Joseph took on responsibility as if it were God’s assignment itself. He did his tasks not with resentment, but with devotion. And as he helped others interpret their dreams, his own dream wasn’t even in sight.
He didn’t know it, but God was still writing his story. Not loudly, but quietly. Not visibly, but powerfully. Every day in prison was not a wasted day, but a hidden step of preparation. The silence wasn’t a verdict – it was God’s workshop. On the hard floor of the dungeon grew a faith that would later carry an entire nation.
The deepest insight lies in the simple truth:
Doing what is right does not mean the path will be easy.
But it means you will never walk it alone.
God does not always reward faithfulness immediately, but He always rewards it surely. And sometimes the path to the palace truly does lead through the prison – not as punishment, but as preparation. Joseph didn’t know what was coming. He only knew who was with him. And that was enough to keep walking with God.
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💡 Thoughts for your heart
God does not leave you when you end up in the dark.
Faithfulness shows itself not in applause, but in endurance.
Justice may be delayed – but it will come.
God’s nearness is deeper than any injustice.
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💎 What we can learn from Joseph
Obedience is not a transaction, but an expression of love.
God honors faithfulness – even when people punish it.
Your prison can be God’s preparation.
The light will come – wait in trust.
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👣 Practical steps
Remain faithful in small things, even when no one sees.
Talk to God about the injustices that wound you.
Remember the times God has already carried you.
Hold firmly to the conviction that your faithfulness is never in vain.
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💭 Questions to reflect on
Where have I done the right thing and been hurt for it?
Where do I feel the call to stay faithful today – despite pain?
How might God use my current “prison” to shape me?
What does God’s Word say about my identity that people try to deny me?
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🙏 Prayer
Father,
you know my disappointments, my wounds, my questions.
You know how it feels when faithfulness hurts.
I bring you my pain and ask for your comfort.
Help me not to grow bitter,
but to hold on to your goodness.
Strengthen my faith where I feel nothing.
Give me courage to do what is right,
even when the consequences are heavy.
Thank you that your nearness carries me,
that your faithfulness holds me,
and that you continue writing my story –
even in the darkest rooms.
Amen.
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🔑 Key thought of the day
Faithfulness is never in vain –
God sees what people overlook.
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🌿 Blessing to close
May the God who did not abandon Joseph in prison
also stay with you in your darkest hours.
May He give you peace,
stronger than injustice,
hope rooted deep in your soul,
and strength that sustains you through each day.
May He lead you to the place
He has prepared for you,
and may your faithfulness bear fruit
in His perfect timing.
Amen.
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