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Fruitful in the Land of Grief

Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling
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Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

Genesis 41:52

Joseph chose names for his sons that expressed his gratitude to God and his effort to make sense of his life. His second son was named Ephraim, which Joseph related to the Hebrew verb meaning "to be fruitful." The name Ephraim reminded Joseph that God had blessed him richly.

Yet such blessing came at a great cost to Joseph. Ephraim also reminded him that he lived in "this land of my grief" or, more literally, "the land of my affliction." Egypt was the place of Joseph's slavery, the country far away from his beloved father, the place where he had languished in prison for years.

Yes, God made Joseph fruitful, but in the midst of his suffering. God did not preserve Joseph from pain, but rather made his presence known in the pain and made Joseph fruitful in spite of it . . . or maybe even because of it.

So it is with us. Though we may want the Lord to make our lives easy, he does not protect us from all hardships. Instead, he uses our suffering for his purposes and for our growth. Affliction prunes us so that, in God's grace, we might live more fruitfully.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Have you experienced fruitfulness in the midst of grief? Have you ever seen how God can use hardship for good in your life?

PRAYER: Gracious God, even as you made Joseph fruitful in the land of his grief, so you do with us. Our suffering opens us to a deeper experience of your presence. It prunes away the excesses of our life so we might bear greater fruit for your kingdom. It teaches us to rely on you more consistently.

Help us, dear Lord, to sense your presence when our lives are hard. May we see with the eyes of faith how you are transforming us. And may you help us to be fruitful even in our struggle. Amen.

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