So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. (Genesis 42:8)

It had been many years since Joseph saw his brothers. The last day was one where they threw him in a pit, stripped him of his colored coat, and left him to die. No doubt anguish must have filled his heart daily with the, “WHY?”

Yet, in God’s faithfulness, He was with Joseph. In the pit. Then, in prison.

Perhaps, you have been a long time waiting for justice in your own life for a matter that left you shattered and alone?

Joseph served Pharaoh faithfully as well as others in the same prison. God was with Him.

Soon he was favored by Pharaoh and placed in high command tending to the care of many people during a famine. Isn’t that just like Christ? Double honor in the place of dishonor.

Then one day God orchestrates a divine face to face with his brothers. They had been sent by their father for grain but they did not recognize their brother as he wisely dispersed provision to the crowd.

You see, Joseph had grown into a mature man by this time. He was no longer the young boy they bullied into an empty well. He was now in a place of authority. God had given him a place of influence while in the nightmare he was living in. Joseph was no longer the same person. Unrecognizable.

Pits and prisons in our own lives will change us. We, very often, are no longer the same person and maybe quite unrecognizable by those from our past.

Wisdom now resides in our hearts from the lessons Christ taught us in the pit. The prison gave us a broken heart for others and allowed us to have kind hands to others in need. We became a safe harbor for those in need of counsel.

The pit taught us about loneliness and now helps us see clearly the heart cry of another lonely soul.

So, like Joseph, many may not recognize you now. You’ve grown in the isolation. Learned from the Holy Spirit, Himself.

You are no longer the same.

The pits and prisons do end at some point. Each offering countless lessons to our own hearts. The time and pain were not at all wasted.

Joseph was even used to interpret dreams in prison. There is no place where God will not use you and the gifts He has placed within you.

It’s true. That whisper in your heart that asks, “Will I ever be the same again?”

The answer is, “No…”

You are now a wiser version of who you were designed to be.

Beautifully unrecognizable.

Take all the lessons and now disperse them to others now in need.

God is with you just like He was with Joseph.