God’s Arrangement Begins in Prison (Genesis 40:5–14)

Joseph’s life seems to keep going downward.

Sold by his brothers.

Taken to Egypt.

Becoming a slave.

Finally, imprisoned by a false accusation.

Yet Scripture never says,

“God left Joseph.”

Instead, right in the middle of the prison story,

the direction quietly changes.

Dreams Begin in Prison

Two royal officials are placed in the same prison as Joseph.

One night, they both have dreams—

dreams full of meaning.

Joseph does not dream.

He receives no vision.

Before moving Joseph,

God moves other people’s nights first.

Joseph Notices Faces Before Dreams

In the morning, Joseph sees their troubled faces and asks,

“Why do you look so sad today?”

Before Joseph becomes an interpreter,

he becomes a noticer of people.

In Scripture, God’s work does not begin with power.

It begins with attention.

Joseph’s Confession of Faith

When they say, “We have dreams, but no one can interpret them,”

Joseph replies,

“Do not interpretations belong to God?”

Joseph refuses to take center stage.

He draws a clear line.

Interpretation belongs to God.

Even in prison,

Joseph remains God-centered.

Interpretation Becomes a Timeline

Joseph explains,

“The three branches are three days.”

God’s revelation is not vague hope.

It enters life as specific time.

And just as spoken,

the cupbearer is restored after three days.

Faith That Is Honest, Not Silent

Joseph then makes a request:

“When it goes well with you, remember me.

Speak to Pharaoh and get me out of this place.”

This is not weak faith.

Joseph already trusted God.

Faith does not mean saying nothing.

It means being honest before God.

Joseph trusts God

and still accepts that God works through people.

Conclusion

Genesis 40 may look like a prison story.

But it is actually a story of divine arrangement.

Joseph is still in prison.

But God is already arranging people, time, and events.

The prison is not the end.

It is where God’s arrangement begins.