Seeking help restores hope

In the backgroud verses for Step 4 of “When all hope seems lost”, I found it interesting that Joseph ask the cupbearer to remember him before Pharaoh, but he didn’t ask the same favor of the baker. Obviously, Joseph knew from interpreting the baker’s dream that he would lose his head, and thus, it was futile to ask the baker to remember him before Pharaoh. This suggests to me that Joseph used discernment about the individuals from whom he might seek help.

So we need to avoid asking the wrong person for help, which results in “barking up the wrong tree”. We need to ask the right person, but we need to do it the right way.

Although the contexts are vastly different, consider adapting tips from the article, “The Art of Getting Help” (scroll down and read the part by Phil Agre) to see which ‘tips’ Joseph used. Did he use any not in the list suggested by Agre?