I’m thrilled to share my latest book cover with you! The Dream Weaver’s Bride: Asenath’s Story with Guideposts Fiction will be available the last week of May.

Without further ado, here it is!

 

When I was approached with the opportunity to write for the Ordinary Women of the Bible series with Guideposts Fiction, I immediately thought of Asenath. I’ve always wondered about the mysterious woman given in marriage to Joseph. We know so little about her. Her father was the high priest of On. Historians note the priests of On were responsible for dream interpretations. Ironic, right? Joseph, a slave and a prisoner, deciphered Pharaoh’s nightmares.

We can assume Asenath was likely Egyptian. Even her name means “belonging to Neith”, a terrifying Egyptian goddess in charge of creation. Jewish tradition suggests that she might have been promised to a royal member in Pharaoh’s family, indicating royal status. What thoughts might have run through her head when she was told to marry a former slave and a foreigner?

Asenath was privileged to have a front-row seat when her husband forgave his treacherous brothers. She witnessed Joseph’s prophetic dreams come into existence. Despite having a father who held an important religious role, Asenath married a man favored by El Shaddai. Which god did she ultimately choose? The fact that both of her sons are included with the twelve tribes of Israel suggest that they believed in El Shaddai.

We can only imagine her response to Joseph’s dramatic act of forgiveness. In a culture known for erasing unfavorable people (including chiseling names from obelisks), how would have Asenath reacted to such a display of rich mercy?

Joseph’s life continues to challenge today. Despite betrayal and loss, he demonstrated a remarkable faith in the goodness of God. It’s easy to trust God when everything goes well. What happens to that faith when we experience pain? How do we forgive those who hurt us? How do we recover when our lives seemed so broken beyond repair?

Joseph’s story illustrates how God’s plan isn’t always clear according to man’s perspective. Despite our limited ability to understand, God remains the ultimate artist, weaving the messy threads into a beautiful tapestry.

Paul writes, “All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. As Pharaoh’s second-in-command, Joseph tells his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20.

No matter what suffering we experience, God is faithful to deliver and heal us. He is more than able to redeem those broken situations for His glory.

 

I hope you’ll join me on Asenath’s journey discovering the redemptive power and love of El Shaddai.

 

 

As the daughter of the high priest of On, Asenath has a solid vision of her future. Her education with the royal scribe is a luxury not usually afforded to women, and even though she is betrothed to the pharaoh’s half-brother, she has dreams of something more. But everything changes when the pharaoh has troubling nightmares that only a prisoner named Joseph can interpret. Suddenly, Asenath finds herself married to this foreigner, who demands that no god but his own be worshipped in his house. Despite her fears, Asenath is touched by Joseph’s kindness and humility, even as he steps into his newfound power.

Can Asenath trust the God of Joseph and forsake her old deities? Can she learn to love this stranger from another land, a stranger with scars from a painful past? As a famine sweeps across Egypt and the surrounding lands, Asenath and Joseph find themselves face-to-face with the men who caused Joseph’s suffering. Can Asenath embrace the power of El Shaddai and help her husband forgive?

From generation to generation and every walk of life, God seeks out women to do His will. Scripture offers us but fleeting, tantalizing glimpses into the lives of a number of everyday women in Bible times-many of whom are not even named in its pages. In each volume of Guideposts’ Ordinary women of the Bible series, you’ll meet one of these unsung, ordinary women face to face, and see how God used her to change the course of history. 

Feel free to share the images below!

 

 

Until next time,