Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

Genesis 40: 13-15 

Throughout the story of Joseph’s life, there’s only one moment when we see him ask for help—and it’s a vulnerable one.

After faithfully interpreting the cupbearer’s dream, Joseph makes a simple, human request: “Remember me when it is well with you…mention me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.” The interpretation comes true. The cupbearer is restored just as Joseph said.

And then this heartbreaking line follows:

“Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” (Genesis 40:23)

Ouch. Have you ever felt forgotten? Overlooked? Alone?

That’s probably a silly question, because at some point, all of us have felt the sting of loneliness. We’ve all known what it’s like to feel passed over, left behind, or quietly ignored. When that happens, it’s easy to believe the opportunities are gone—that the door has closed—and to retreat into discouragement.

I can’t help but wonder if this moment wasn’t one of the lowest points in Joseph’s life. This is just speculation, of course, but imagine it: prison already feels like the end of the road, and now the one person who could help you…forgets you. If you’ve ever experienced loneliness, you know it’s not just inconvenience—it’s the pain of separation, and that pain is very real.

And it didn’t pass quickly. Joseph waited two more years. Two long, silent years. (Genesis 41:1)

Two years of waking up in the same place. Two years of unanswered prayers. Two years where it must have seemed like nothing was happening at all.

But here’s the quiet hope woven into the story: when it looked like Joseph had been completely forgotten, God was still at work.

Joseph may have been forgotten by people, but he was never forgotten by God. And the same is true for us. When heaven seems quiet and progress feels stalled, it doesn’t mean God has stepped away. Often, it means He’s preparing something bigger than we can see.

So if you’re in a season where you feel forgotten—take heart. God is still writing your story, even when the page looks blank.