by Blythe Daniel @BlytheDaniel

I remember listening to the song in the prime of my junior high days. Taking a road trip with my family and rewinding the song on my portable cassette player. El Shaddai by Amy Grant was my song. God Almighty, yes, that was certainly one of God’s names and my favorite backseat tune.

Recently, I was drawn to the story of Joseph in the Bible. Maybe because Joseph learned to stick out his circumstances and remain faithful. He had an unexpected event happen to him.
Uh hum. It changed the trajectory of his life.

When his brothers sold him to merchants, God moved him into prime positioning. Even though he served Potiphar and his household faithfully, there was more he didn’t see coming that landed him in prison. Um what, God? This is what I get for serving faithfully? Maybe that thought came to him..

Fast forward to Genesis 41 and 42 and you see Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, promote Joseph to take care of his household and all of his people! (Gen. 41:40) Joseph was catapulted to the top after being at the bottom.

I don’t know about you, but I see God as the Almighty! Joseph was steadfast and God put him in the position He had for him without Joseph trying to fight his way there.

Joseph was then in the position to help his brothers who came to Egypt for grain during the famine. However, Joseph kept his brother Simeon in prison until the other brothers brought Joseph’s beloved brother Benjamin to him. He wanted to see his brother again. He actually dismissed himself to weep at God’s faithfulness. The brothers had come already for grain but when traveling home they noticed that their silver, their treasure, was put back in their sacks. They feared for their lives as it looked like they had not paid for their food supply.

Afraid for their lives, the steward in charge of the grain sacks said to them as they awaited seeing Joseph again, “‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks.’” (Genesis 43:23)

Here’s where I want to sing in the backseat again! The reference to God here is El Shaddai. God Almighty! Not just a nice God who wants you to be happy. Or the God who can help you out in hard times. But THE God Almighty. With Him, everything is all right.

That’s the part that gets me. The one who was put in charge of the fate of these brothers says, “It’s all right.” The brothers dismissed Joseph years earlier, but Joseph spared their lives. And not only that, God put treasure in their sack.

He puts treasure in your sack too. You don’t have to leap over others or jockey for position to have your book published or your writing recognized. God puts treasure in your offerings, your writing, because He knows you won’t be able to say you deserve it or earned it.

So many times we think our writing is in our own hands. We have to make a way or try to go on our own. We don’t recall that God is Almighty. He’s saying, “It’s all right. I’ve already given you what you need.”

Striving is a dangerous place to be. I know, I’ve been there. When we can say to God, “I know you position me just where you want me, when you want me there” we can be a Joseph who knows that there may be some very dry and low times. But be ready! Because when God catapults you, you don’t want to be looking around for where your treasure is. Your treasure is the gifts and truth in your heart that God is mighty enough to take you right where you need to be.

What would it look like not to strive for what you’d like? How would you approach your writing and timing differently? Do you believe God can put you where He wants you to be?

Recently I sat down on a very full flight. The guy sitting next to me and I started talking and would you believe that he had been told the day before he should write a book? He sits next to me, a literary agent, and we talked most of the flight about his book idea. Out of all the seats on the airplane, God put me next to him. Is God capable of putting us where we need to be when? You betcha!

What do you need to share with God in order for him to seat you right where He has plans for you?

Blythe Daniel is a literary agent and marketer and has been in publishing for over 20 years. She has written for Proverbs 31 Ministries, Focus on the Family, Ann Voskamp, and Christian Retailing. She and her mother Dr. Helen McIntosh are the authors of Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters (Harvest House Publishers).

www.theblythedanielagency.com; www.ourmendedhearts.com