Genesis 40:14
But think on me when it shall be well with thee and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:

It seemed like Joseph was forgotten by everybody.  His brothers had left him for dead.  His master had sent him to prison.  The butler wouldn’t remember to tell Pharaoh about him.  And Pharaoh was unaware of Joseph’s plight, an innocent man in his prison.  It would have been easy for Joseph to give up, to get discouraged, to lose hope.  He could have given in to the unfairness of his circumstances and made some poor choices.  But instead, he remained faithful.  He continued to serve.  He sought to do the best he could where he was.

Because no matter who else had abandoned him, Joseph was not forgotten by God.  He wasn’t invisible to God.  And God was aware of exactly where he was and what he was dealing with.  And sometimes we can get to a place, like Joseph, where we feel all but forgotten.  Sometimes we can feel like no one is aware of what we’re going through and there is no one willing to help.  Sometimes we can find ourselves convinced we’re just stuck somewhere all alone with no way out.

But God hasn’t abandoned us, and He is aware of exactly where we are.  He sees us no matter who else ignores us.  He is there when no else remembers us.  He is near when we need someone to reach for.  And if we can remember that, then we can, like Joseph, continue to be faithful wherever we are, even in those less-than-ideal circumstances.  We can continue to serve.  We can go on and move forward with hope.  We can trust God when we might be tempted to give up.

No matter where we are, God sees us.  No matter who we are—just a slave, just a prisoner, someone cast out and unwanted—God knows us.  He does think upon us.  He cares about us.  And in His time and His way, He will help us.  So let us be encouraged even if things look bleak.  Let us not give up even if our situation seems hopeless.  And most of all, let us not give up on God no matter what, because He is merciful and He is faithful.