I've sat with many people who feel forgotten.
Maybe you're one of them right now. You did the right thing. You kept your integrity. You said no when others would have said yes. And now you're sitting in your own version of a prison cell, unfairly treated, passed over, watching others move ahead while you're stuck.
Joseph knew that feeling. He'd been faithful to God and faithful to his master Potiphar. When Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him, Joseph ran. He chose purity over pleasure. And his reward? Prison.
Not just prison, forgotten prison. The kind where nobody knows your name, and nobody cares about your story.
The Weight of Silence
Genesis 40 opens with Joseph still in that dungeon. He's been there for years at this point. Sold by his brothers. Enslaved in Egypt. Falsely accused. Locked away.
And God is silent.
That silence is one of the hardest things we face. When you're doing right, and nothing seems to change. When you're faithful, and the breakthrough doesn't come. When you pray, and the heavens feel like brass.
I've been there. After 50 years in ministry, I can tell you, the waiting seasons are where God does some of His deepest work. But they don't feel like it at the time.
They just feel long.
A Servant's Heart in the Dark
Here's what gets me about Joseph: He didn't let his circumstances poison his character.
Look at Genesis 40:6-7. The chief butler and the chief baker are thrown into prison with Joseph. One morning, Joseph notices they're sad.
Genesis 40:6-7 "And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?"
Stop right there. Joseph is in prison. Falsely accused. Forgotten. His future looks bleak. And he's noticing that someone else is having a bad day.
That's the heart of a servant.
Most of us, when we're hurting, turn inward. We become consumed with our own pain. We rehearse our own story. We nurse our wounds and replay the injustice over and over.
Joseph did something different. He looked around. He saw someone else's pain. And he cared.
Philippians 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
That verse wasn't written yet when Joseph was in prison. But he was already living it.
Dreams That Point to God
When the two men tell Joseph about their troubling dreams, Joseph doesn't take credit for his gift. Look at what he says in Genesis 40:8:
Genesis 40:8 "And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you."
Even in prison, Joseph's walk with God was close. He knew where his abilities came from. He knew who deserved the glory.
This is huge. When you're forgotten and overlooked, there's a temptation to grasp for recognition. To make sure people know what you can do. To promote yourself because nobody else will.
Joseph doesn't do that. He points to God.
He interprets the dreams accurately. The butler will be restored in three days. The baker will be executed. And Joseph makes one small request: remember me when you get out. Tell Pharaoh about me.
It's a reasonable request. A human request. Joseph wasn't wrong to ask.
But Genesis 40:23 lands like a punch: "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him."
Forgot him.
Two more years go by. Two full years of silence. Of waiting. Of wondering if anyone will ever care.
God Is Preparing You
Here's the truth I've learned: God uses the waiting room to prepare us for the throne room.
Joseph wasn't wasting time in that prison. He was building character. He was learning to serve without recognition. He was learning to trust God when nothing made sense. He was learning to care for others when his own heart was breaking.
That's the preparation God values.
We want to skip the prison and go straight to the palace. We want promotion without process. We want influence without integrity tested in the dark.
But God doesn't work that way. The hidden seasons matter. The character you build when nobody's watching: that's what sustains you when everybody is.
I've seen this in my own life. Twenty years as a missionary in Peru. Seasons of feeling canceled. Battles with Stage 4 cancer and COVID. Times when I wondered if anything I was doing mattered.
And every time, God was preparing me. Building something in the silence that couldn't be built in the spotlight.
Joseph didn't waste his prison time complaining. He served. He cared. He stayed faithful. He kept his walk with God close.
And when his moment came, and it did come, he was ready.
The same God who was with Joseph in Potiphar's house was with him in prison. The same God who gave him favor with Potiphar gave him favor with the jailer. God never left him.
And God hasn't left you.
If you're in a season of silence right now: if you're feeling forgotten, passed over, stuck in a place you don't deserve: I want you to hear this: God is still with you. He's still working. He's still preparing you.
Your faithfulness in the hidden place matters. Your servant's heart when nobody's looking matters. Your close walk with God when the breakthrough hasn't come yet: that matters most of all.
Don't give up. Don't grow bitter. Don't stop serving.
God sees you. And His love for you isn't based on your circumstances.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Am I still noticing others' needs, or have I become consumed with my own pain?
How am I responding to people in my "prison cell": the difficult place I didn't choose?
Do I believe God is preparing me, or do I think this season is wasted time?
Am I keeping a close walk with God even when He seems silent?
A Pastoral Closing + Your Next Step
If you’re in the “two more years” part of the story, I want you to breathe. God’s silence is not God’s absence. The same Lord who held Joseph in the prison will hold you in this hidden season too—and He can form a steady, joyful heart in you even before anything changes around you. You are not behind. You are not being graded. You are being held.
Next step: If you want a simple way to keep your faith anchored this week, listen to an episode of the Followed by Mercy podcast: https://followedbymercy.buzzsprout.com. And when you’re ready to go deeper, read The Big Leap of Faith here: https://waustingardner.com/the-big-leap-of-faith-believing-god-loves-you-exactly-as-you-are/.
FAQ: Trusting God in the Waiting
How long should I wait before I give up?
You don't give up. Joseph waited over a decade from the pit to the palace. God's timing isn't our timing, but His timing is always perfect. Keep serving where you are.
What if I've already lost my servant's heart?
Ask God to restore it. Repent for the bitterness you've been carrying, and ask Him to help you see others again. It's never too late to start serving with a pure heart.
Does God really care about the small things in my life?
Yes. He cared enough to give Joseph favor with a prison keeper. He cares about every detail of your life. Nothing is too small for His attention or too big for His power.