Living Water #629

LIVING WATER – EPISODE 629 || 23rd FEBRUARY, 2026

By Solomon Uwumbolibe Mensah

MANASSEH AND EPHRAIM

Scripture: Genesis 41:51–52

“Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Joseph’s life is one of the clearest demonstrations of how God transforms suffering into blessing. After years of betrayal, slavery, false accusation, and imprisonment, Joseph finally stood in a place of honor in Egypt. At the height of his promotion, Joseph named his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim. These names were not ordinary; they were testimonies. Joseph used the naming of his children to declare what God had done in his heart. His story teaches us that God does not only change our circumstances; He heals our memories and gives purpose to our pain.

1.    Manasseh; The Grace to Forget the Pain: Joseph named his first son Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” This forgetting was not memory loss but emotional healing. Joseph had experienced deep wounds — rejection by his brothers, separation from his father, and injustice in a foreign land. Yet God brought him to a place where pain no longer controlled his identity. Manasseh represents the grace of God that frees a person from bitterness. Before God can make us fruitful, He often heals us internally. Many people move forward physically but remain imprisoned emotionally. Joseph shows that true freedom begins when God removes the weight of past suffering from the heart.

2.    Fruitfulness in the Place of Suffering: Joseph then named his second son Ephraim, declaring, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” Notice that Joseph did not become fruitful after leaving Egypt; he became fruitful within the very place where he suffered. This reveals a powerful spiritual truth: God does not always remove us from difficult environments before blessing us. Sometimes He causes growth right where pain once existed. Ephraim represents restoration — God turning loss into productivity and trials into testimony. The same land that witnessed Joseph’s tears now witnessed his success.

3.  Healing Before Increase: The order of these names is important. Manasseh came before Ephraim. Healing preceded fruitfulness. God often deals with our wounds before releasing our increase. When people rush toward success without healing, unresolved pain can sabotage future blessings. Joseph allowed God to heal his past, and as a result, he was able to steward his future wisely.

4.    God’s Pattern for Individuals, Families, and Institutions: This message speaks to individuals, families, and even institutions. Many people carry memories of disappointment, betrayal, or failure. Organizations and communities may also carry histories of struggle or hardship. God’s pattern remains the same: first He brings Manasseh; healing and release  and then He brings Ephraim; growth and multiplication. Fruitfulness is not the absence of suffering but the evidence of God’s presence within it.

Joseph’s testimony reminds us that suffering is not the final chapter. God can cause us to forget the pain that once defined us and make us fruitful in places we never expected. What the enemy intended for harm, God transforms into purpose. Every believer must ask: Has God produced Manasseh in my life? Am I allowing Him to bring Ephraim?

Call to Action: Release your past to God today. Allow Him to heal what hurt you so He can make you fruitful where you are.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for turning pain into purpose. Heal every wound that still lives in our hearts and help us trust You in seasons of suffering. Produce Manasseh in us so that Ephraim may follow. Make us fruitful even in difficult places. In Jesus’ name, Amen.