Hello everyone, Shalom in Christ! Welcome again to the devotional program, “Joseph at the Marketplace” by GLOBAL REACHOUT. I am Tom Nohelty.

Day 12: Cultural Disorientation

Today, the Scripture is taken from: Genesis 41: 41-52.

Theme verse:

“Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt…” Genesis 41: 46 (ESV)

Whether facing growing changes in your native culture or the dramatic differences of a foreign culture, you likely experience some degree of disorientation. How do you navigate a changing or unfamiliar set of rules? How do you even learn what those rules are? To what extent should you try to adapt?

Joseph could identify with your challenges. His life changed overnight. One day, he sat rotting in a dungeon. The next, he wore Pharaoh’s signet ring and rode around Egypt in a chariot. An entourage ran in front of him shouting, “Make way!”

Pharaoh gave him a new name: Zaphenath-Paneah. Pharaoh also arranged a marriage with the daughter of one of Egypt’s priests......

Time for Reflections.

1. What changes have you experienced as the culture around you has changed?

2. How much of a stress has it been?

3. How can you remind yourself of the unchanging character of God?