Who Needs Luck?

​I know St. Patrick’s day was the week before last, but this week I found a 4-leaf clover!  4-leaf clovers are the result of a genetic defect.  It’s rare, about 1 in 10,000 clovers have four leaves or more!  I stepped outside my office to take off my face mask for a phone call and was slowly pacing the sidewalk when I saw the 4-leafer growing in a patch of clover!  Unbelievable!  I took a picture, picked it, and brought it inside to figure out what I was supposed to do with it.  My friend suggested I press it, so it’s still being pressed and dried as I write this post.  I did a little research and found that the 3 leaves on a clover stand for faith, love, and hope, but the 4th, if you find one, stands for luck!  So, now I’m going to be lucky...!  ​

If you know the story below, bear with me, please!

This week in Bible study we learned about Joseph, youngest son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac, great-grandson of Abraham.  He was his dad’s favorite son, but was despised by his brothers.  They intended to kill him, but relented and put him into a cistern which happened to be empty.  Some might say he was lucky!  Later his brothers sold him into slavery.  He was sold to some Midianites, but was later purchased by Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.  Some might say luck struck again!  As a slave, Joseph prospered and was successful in everything he did.  Potiphar trusted him and put him in charge of his household - a pretty high post for a slave - more luck?  While he was there, Potiphar’s wife took notice of him and found him to be well-built and handsome.  She propositioned Joseph for sex, but he refused.  He knew his master trusted him and to do such a thing would jeopardize his well-being, plus “how could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (38:9)  One day he refused her advances when no one was around, and she grabbed his cloak as he ran away from her, then used the cloak to bolster the lie to her husband about what really happened.  She accused Joseph of attempting to “make sport” of her (38:18).  For this, Potiphar threw Joseph into prison.  Some might say his luck ran out.  
 
While he was there, however, the prison warden put him in charge of the others- maybe his luck was restored!  While in charge, one day Joseph noticed the downtrodden faces of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, who had been imprisoned for their offenses.  They each shared recent dreams with Joseph with the hope of an interpretation.  Joseph told them, “only God can interpret dreams,” (40:8) and proceeded to share with them the interpretations God gave him to share.  Three days later, the cupbearer was restored to his position with Pharaoh and Joseph asked only that he remember him.  The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. (40:23) Bad luck for Joseph.  Two years later, Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams and he could not find anyone to give him a satisfactory explanation of them.  This is when the cupbearer was reminded of the young man in the prison.  “So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.” (41:14) Joseph was in luck again!  Pharaoh asked Joseph to interpret his dreams, “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (41:16)  Joseph told him that Egypt would experience seven years of plentiful harvest, then seven years of famine, so severe that everyone would forget the seven prior years of plenty.  Joseph suggested that Pharaoh appoint someone to oversee the preparations for the famine to come during the plentiful years.  “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. (41:41-43)  How lucky is that!
 
I was excited to find a 4-leaf clover, because it is a rare find.  One in 10,000 is truly rare!  I’m not big into superstition and such, so I did have to do some research.  The idea of the clover being lucky, however, as a believer, is laughable to me.  Do I need luck when I am walking with the most high God?  Do you?  A few weeks ago I wrote a post, “But God,” and each day I experience but God moments.  When we read the story of Joseph, we can read it with a cultural or secular mind and view Joseph as lucky (or unlucky during a few instances) but Scripture tells does not say he was luck.  Instead it states: 
 
“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.”  (Gen. 39:2)
 
“But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”  (Gen. 39:20-21)
 
There is no mention of a 4-leaf clover in Joseph's story!  The events described here took place over a twenty year period of time, and certainly there were ups and downs, but we are told in multiple verses that the Lord was with Joseph through the entire ordeal.  We can say he was lucky, but it’s more accurate to say he was blessed and highly favored.  Even during the low points, God was there.  Joseph suffered the aftermath of his master’s wife’s lie, but in those days the penalty for this crime was death, but because God was with him, he was put into jail - what a blessing!  We see evidence that Joseph walked with God and knew God’s hand was on his life.  When he was asked to interpret dreams he didn’t just start talking - he said, “only God can interpret dreams.  He acknowledged God’s omniscience from the start.  In Joseph’s past, he had two dreams of himself in a high position with his brothers and parents bowing down to him.  If we continue reading in Genesis we learn that this was God’s revealed prophecy.  It didn’t happen overnight, and there was great suffering that took place in the years separating the dream and it’s reality, but during the entire time God was with him and was teaching him things that would be beneficial as he served as Pharaoh’s VP.
 
Just as I have dreams and some unanswered prayers, I am sure you do, too.   You may be suffering in some way.  Joseph’s story gives me great hope.  Seeing how God was with him helps me to realize that God is with me, too!  And since He is omnipresent, He is with you, as well!  As we lament over our troubles, our failures, and during our low points, we must look for the but God happenings because it certainly could be worse.  We don’t need a 4-leaf clover, or a rabbit’s foot, or a dash of salt over the shoulder in order to receive God’s abundant blessings.  We must love Him, trust Him and serve Him and He will never fail us.  With God, we don’t have to worry that our luck will run out.  He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.  In Him we can put our trust and He will never fail.  Amen. 
 
 
 
I know this was long, but thank you for reading!
Kim
 
 

​