Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

The reading of the will is usually seen on television shows as a surprise to most who gather to hear it in the room of the lawyer.  When I first saw that as a young adult, I wondered, how did they not know?  I grew up in a close-knit family.  You knew without being told after a person died what to expect.  When you know, love, listen to understand, help each other while working closely together, there is no established time for the “reading of the will” to see what you inherited, you already know because you knew and loved the one who passed from this life to the next. There are generally no surprises. 

However, I learned later in life that many families separate in location and in relationship to the degree of not knowing their family, their dreams, their accomplishments, or what they leave behind.  Some expect nothing and some expect everything.  In pastoral ministry we saw all kinds of expectations from people who came to the funeral of a relative they hardly knew.  It seemed to us the people who cried and lamented the most seemed to be the ones who knew the least about the person who died. 

Jacob’s sons knew their father well.  Jacob knew his sons very well, inside and out!  Being a man of God who follows God’s leading, he now calls all the sons into the room and proclaims his expectations as well as his blessings over each one.  Jacob is breathing his last breaths of life on earth.  But it is important to Jacob to tell all the “sons of Israel” his expectations of how their lives will turn out because he knows and loves them so well.  He makes it clear that Joseph is the new “first born” but with that comes the responsibility of taking care of the rest of the family and Joseph as already done that well—by the grace and will of God!

The descriptions of the lives of each son is very revealing and a bit amusing.  What if we proclaimed our expectations of each of our children just before we die?  What were our parents expecting of us?  Have we fulfilled their prophecy of how we turned out?  I pray we fulfill what God asks each one of us to be and do as we join Him in His work.  The only legacy I want to leave is for people to know and follow Jesus.  All else doesn’t matter so much.  Only Jesus.

Genesis 49, The Message

Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around. I want to tell you what you can expect in the days to come.”

² Come together, listen sons of Jacob,
    listen to Israel your father.

^3-4 Reuben, you’re my firstborn,
    my strength, first proof of my manhood,
    at the top in honor and at the top in power,
But like a bucket of water spilled,
    you’ll be at the top no more,
Because you climbed into your father’s marriage bed,
    mounting that couch, and you defiled it.

^5-6 Simeon and Levi are two of a kind,
    ready to fight at the drop of a hat.
I don’t want anything to do with their vendettas,
    want no part in their bitter feuds;
They kill men in fits of temper,
    slash oxen on a whim.
⁷ A curse on their uncontrolled anger,
    on their indiscriminate wrath.
I’ll throw them out with the trash;
    I’ll shred and scatter them like confetti throughout Israel.

^8-12 You, Judah, your brothers will praise you:
    Your fingers on your enemies’ throat,
    while your brothers honor you.
You’re a lion’s cub, Judah,
    home fresh from the kill, my son.
Look at him, crouched like a lion, king of beasts;
    who dares mess with him?
The scepter shall not leave Judah;
    he’ll keep a firm grip on the command staff
Until the ultimate ruler comes
    and the nations obey him.
He’ll tie up his donkey to the grapevine,
    his purebred prize to a sturdy branch.
He will wash his shirt in wine
    and his cloak in the blood of grapes,
His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.

¹³ Zebulun settles down on the seashore;
    he’s a safe harbor for ships,
    right alongside Sidon.

^14-15 Issachar is one tough donkey
    crouching between the corrals;
When he saw how good the place was,
    how pleasant the country,
He gave up his freedom
    and went to work as a slave.

^16-17 Dan will handle matters of justice for his people;
    he will hold his own just fine among the tribes of Israel.
Dan is only a small snake in the grass,
    a lethal serpent in ambush by the road
When he strikes a horse in the heel,
    and brings its huge rider crashing down.

¹⁸ I wait in hope
    for your salvation, God.

¹⁹ Gad will be attacked by bandits,
    but he will trip them up.

²⁰ Asher will become famous for rich foods,
    candies and sweets fit for kings.

^21-26 Naphtali is a deer running free
    that gives birth to lovely fawns.

Joseph is a wild donkey,
    a wild donkey by a spring,
    spirited donkeys on a hill.
The archers with malice attacked,
    shooting their hate-tipped arrows;
But he held steady under fire,
    his bow firm, his arms limber,
With the backing of the Champion of Jacob,
    the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
The God of your father—may he help you!
    And may The Strong God—may he give you his blessings,
Blessings tumbling out of the skies,
    blessings bursting up from the Earth—
    blessings of breasts and womb.
May the blessings of your father
    exceed the blessings of the ancient mountains,
    surpass the delights of the eternal hills;
May they rest on the head of Joseph,
    on the brow of the one consecrated among his brothers.

²⁷ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
    all morning he gorges on his kill,
    at evening divides up what’s left over.

²⁸ All these are the tribes of Israel, the twelve tribes. And this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one with his own special farewell blessing.

* * *

^29-32 Then he instructed them: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah facing Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial plot. Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there; Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there; I also buried Leah there. The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites.”

³³ Jacob finished instructing his sons, pulled his feet into bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There is so much more to the blessings upon the sons of Israel.  Jacob’s last words are a revelation of human character and conduct as well as of divine purposes. Three of the sons learned that their past conduct had cost them their future inheritance.  What we reap, we sow! 

But something else was true: Jacob’s prophetic words must have given great encouragement to his descendants during their difficult time of suffering in Egypt, as well as during their unhappy years wandering in the wilderness. Jacob assured each tribe of a future place in the Promised Land, and that meant a great deal to them.

In Jacob’s “last witness and testimony” we see a beautiful revelation of the gracious Lord who had cared for His servant for so many years. There’s also a revelation of the Messiah, who had been promised to Jacob’s people. In these words of Jacob, you meet Shiloh (v. 10), salvation (Yeshua, v. 18), the Mighty God, the Shepherd, and the Stone of Israel (v. 24), and the Almighty (v. 25), all of which point to our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Yes!  Joseph foretells the coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior through the generational line of Judah!

As Genesis draws to a close, Jacob gathers his sons for his final words of instruction and blessing. He addresses each of his sons with perceptive and prophetic comments. He foreshadows the way in which his sons will together form the nation that will bear the special name God had given him—Israel.

Judah had made some mistakes, but he had also made some things right with his father and his family, and that was the difference between him and his three elder brothers. Judah—was preeminent among his brothers, the royal tribe that conquered enemies and produced kings, including the King of kings, Jesus Christ.

Jacob’s long and difficult life was over. He had made his last journey, given his last blessing, and shared his last request. His work was done, and he breathed his last and died. With only his staff, he had crossed over Jordan many years before; and now he had his staff with him (Heb. 11:21) as he crossed to the other side. He was a pilgrim to the very end.

How will our lives give evidence of God’s faithfulness throughout our journey on earth?

Our answer will reveal our faith.  Our behavior will reflect who we really believe and follow.

Lord,

The “fathers” of faith reveal their character as well as their imperfections.  But what rises to the forefront is your unfailing faithfulness to each one of them!  Your love is amazing.  Your plan to send a Savior was planned from the beginning of creation.  Genesis is all about You and beginning of the relationship we must have with You!  We find our place in the story as we read.  We learn from the men and women who have gone before us just how important our relationship is with You and how it grows more intimate each day.  I am grateful.  Thank you for saving my soul, making me whole and continually growing and maturing our relationship.  I know what I will inherit—eternal life!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen.  Yes!

When parents go before us, living long lives of faith in God with endurance to follow in His ways, they have an urgency in their hearts to pass on to us what is most important to them.  Especially to those who love them deeply, respect them, are at their sides, holding their hands.  I have experienced sitting with my mom as she passed from this life to the arms of Jesus. Six years later, the same for dad.  Mom, the practical, retired professional secretary, asked for a legal paid to write down her final instructions and blessings along with love and affection for dad and her two kids when she could no longer speak clearly.  Being the oldest, I received explicit instructions written on a yellow legal pad (so appropriate for mom) days before she died.  She already had a plan, she just wanted to make sure I knew, so she wrote, a sentence or phrase at a time, while oxygen was being pumped in to her struggling, worn out body.  I still have the “yellow pages”.  I refer to them when I wonder if I did everything she told me to do.  I did.

Therefore, these moments of Jacob with Joseph, hours before he passes from this life to the next, greatly touches my heart.  I know the feelings of love expressed.  I know the importance of passing on to your kids what you have in your heart for them—those dreams with prayers for God to be in their lives as He was in ours.  But, for Jacob, it went far beyond the normal conversation.  Jacob (Israel to God) was passing on God’s Promise to His people—given first to Abraham!  The Promise now is passing from Jacob (Israel) to Joseph and to his sons.  Jacob makes The Promise of God clear in his words to Joseph AND to his sons.  Jacob is proclaiming God’s work that WILL be accomplished through the next generations by his blessings over them!  Prophecy and a Promise!

Remember this conversation at the end of yesterday’s passage? 

^29-30 When the time came for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said, “Do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh, a sign that you’re loyal and true to me to the end. Don’t bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me alongside them.”

“I will,” he said. “I’ll do what you’ve asked.”

³¹ Israel said, “Promise me.” Joseph promised.

Israel bowed his head in submission and gratitude from his bed.  (Genesis 47:29-31)

Now read…

Genesis 48, The Message

^1-2 Some time after this conversation, Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” He took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to Jacob. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come,” he roused himself and sat up in bed.

^3-7 Jacob said to Joseph, “The Strong God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said, ‘I’m going to make you prosperous and numerous, turn you into a congregation of tribes; and I’ll turn this land over to your children coming after you as a permanent inheritance.’ I’m adopting your two sons who were born to you here in Egypt before I joined you; they have equal status with Reuben and Simeon. But any children born after them are yours; they will come after their brothers in matters of inheritance. I want it this way because, as I was returning from Paddan, your mother Rachel, to my deep sorrow, died as we were on our way through Canaan when we were only a short distance from Ephrath, now called Bethlehem.”

⁸ Just then Jacob noticed Joseph’s sons and said, “Who are these?”

^9-11 Joseph told his father, “They are my sons whom God gave to me in this place.”

“Bring them to me,” he said, “so I can bless them.” Israel’s eyesight was poor from old age; he was nearly blind. So Joseph brought them up close. Old Israel kissed and embraced them and then said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has let me see your children as well!”

^12-16 Joseph took them from Israel’s knees and bowed respectfully, his face to the ground. Then Joseph took the two boys, Ephraim with his right hand setting him to Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand setting him to Israel’s right, and stood them before him. But Israel crossed his arms and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim who was the younger and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn. Then he blessed them:

The God before whom walked
    my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
The God who has been my shepherd
    all my life long to this very day,
The Angel who delivered me from every evil,
    Bless the boys.
May my name be echoed in their lives,
    and the names of Abraham and Isaac, my fathers,
And may they grow
    covering the Earth with their children.

^17-18 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought he had made a mistake, so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s, saying, “That’s the wrong head, Father; the other one is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head.”

^19-20 But his father wouldn’t do it. He said, “I know, my son; but I know what I’m doing. He also will develop into a people, and he also will be great. But his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will enrich nations.” Then he blessed them both:

Israel will use your names to give blessings:
    May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.

In that he made it explicit: he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

^21-22 Israel then said to Joseph, “I’m about to die. God be with you and give you safe passage back to the land of your fathers. As for me, I’m presenting you, as the first among your brothers, the ridge of land I took from Amorites with my sword and bow.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The depth of this holy moment between Jacob and Joseph with his sons is fleshed out by Warren Wiersbe, Bible scholar and commentator.  The following help us to understand more fully the importance of the blessing of the Promise of God.

A Jewish proverb says, “For the ignorant, old age is as winter, but for the learned, it is a harvest.” Jacob was now 130 years old, and during those years, he had learned many important lessons about God, himself, and other people, especially his sons. Some of those lessons in the school of life had been difficult to learn, and Jacob hadn’t always passed every test successfully. But now, thanks to God’s goodness and Joseph’s faithfulness, Jacob would reap a rich harvest in Egypt during the next seventeen years.

Jacob had enjoyed Joseph for seventeen years in Hebron (37:2), and now he would enjoy Joseph and his sons for seventeen years in Egypt (47:28). It was tragic that the sins of his sons had robbed their father of twenty-two years of Joseph’s life, but even in this sacrifice, God had beautifully worked out His plan and cared lovingly for His people.

Jacob was bedfast, his sight was failing (v. 8), and he knew that the end was near. But when Joseph walked into the room, Jacob mustered enough strength to sit up on the side of his bed and talk with his son about matters that were too important to delay. He didn’t talk about the difficulties of his life; he spoke about God Almighty and what He had done for His servant.

I wonder, what will be our last words to those we leave behind?

THE PASSING OF THE PROMISE OF GOD

When Abraham was nearing death, his desire was to find a wife for Isaac and transfer to him the blessings of the covenant (chap. 24). Sad to say, when Isaac thought he was going to die, he wanted to eat his favorite meal and then bless his favorite son, who was not God’s choice to bear the covenant blessings (chap. 27). Jacob’s concern was to bless Joseph, whom he had made his firstborn, and then adopt Joseph’s two sons as his own and make them “sons of Israel.” It’s a good thing to be able to end your life knowing you’ve completed God’s business the way He wanted it done.

Jacob reviewed some of the experiences of his pilgrimage with God, beginning with the promises God had given him at Bethel (48:3-4; see 12:1-3) and including the death of his beloved Rachel, Joseph’s mother (48:7). Jacob assured Joseph that God would multiply their number and one day take them out of Egypt into their inheritance in the land of Canaan. Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, would have an inheritance in that land, because their grandfather was adopting them.

Not only did Jacob adopt his two grandsons, but he also gave them his special blessing. Jacob was probably sitting on the side of the bed and the boys were standing before him, while Joseph was bowed down with his face to the ground. Whether the boys realized it or not, it was indeed a solemn occasion.

For the fifth time in the Book of Genesis, we meet a reversal of the birth order. God had chosen Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau; and Joseph, not Reuben; and now He would choose Ephraim over Manasseh. Joseph was upset with what his father did and tried to change his hands, but Jacob was guided by God and knew what he was doing.

When Jacob spoke his will and shared his wealth among his children, Joseph received an unexpected gift that day: a piece of land that Jacob had taken in battle from the Amorites. This location appears in the New Testament when Jesus met the woman of Sychar there and led her to saving faith (John 4:15). Being now the firstborn, Joseph was eligible for a double portion of the blessing (Deut. 21:15–17), and Ezekiel 47:13 indicates that in the future kingdom, Joseph will have two portions of land.

God knows what He is doing.  Always and forever.  Believe.

Lord,

As we end our time with Jacob, we learn how deeply devoted he was to fulfilling Your Promise in and through him.  Help us to be as diligent in passing the Good News of your saving grace to everyone we meet by our testimony of not only words but with our very lives.  May others see you in us. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

I don’t of very many people who have not watched or played at least one game of Monopoly.  I played it as a kid.  I quickly learned from playing the game with my friends and family that I needed a strategy to gain all the property, build hotels and retain a “savings” in order to monopolize my opponents.  It was a slow and steady process but, in the end, barring no jail time and avoiding the “high rent” district, you could win the game.

Later in life, I would teach my kids and then my grandkids the game.  Monopoly is a great tool to teach the strategy of finance and management.  Monopoly is not for the faint of heart or for those with short attention spans.  It is a thinking game which is fun for me.

I think of the game of Monopoly as I read our passage.  Observe how Joseph leads Egypt through a great famine.  As we read, watch as Joseph continually strategizes plans that will help the Egyptians and his own people who have come to live nearby in the land of Goshen.  God is continually with him.  God’s plan is to build a nation of His people, a people who will love Him back—through famine and eventual slavery to Egypt.  God is in control of the circumstances.  He has not left the building, (or the building of the nation of Israel), so to speak.  He is working through the man he placed in a high position to protect his people who are growing in great numbers.  Through good times and bad, God is with them. 

Genesis 47, The Message

Joseph went to Pharaoh and told him, “My father and brothers with their flocks and herds and everything they own have come from Canaan. Right now they are in Goshen.”

^2-3 He had taken five of his brothers with him and introduced them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked them, “What kind of work do you do?”

^3-4 “Your servants are shepherds, the same as our fathers were. We have come to this country to find a new place to live. There is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine has been very bad there. Please, would you let your servants settle in the region of Goshen?”

^5-6 Pharaoh looked at Joseph. “So, your father and brothers have arrived—a reunion! Egypt welcomes them. Settle your father and brothers on the choicest land—yes, give them Goshen. And if you know any among them that are especially good at their work, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

^7-8 Next Joseph brought his father Jacob in and introduced him to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How old are you?”

^9-10 Jacob answered Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning are 130—a short and hard life and not nearly as long as my ancestors were given.” Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left.

^11-12 Joseph settled his father and brothers in Egypt, made them proud owners of choice land—it was the region of Rameses (that is, Goshen)—just as Pharaoh had ordered. Joseph took good care of them—his father and brothers and all his father’s family, right down to the smallest baby. He made sure they had plenty of everything.

* * *

^13-15 The time eventually came when there was no food anywhere. The famine was very bad. Egypt and Canaan alike were devastated by the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan to pay for the distribution of food. He banked the money in Pharaoh’s palace. When the money from Egypt and Canaan had run out, the Egyptians came to Joseph. “Food! Give us food! Are you going to watch us die right in front of you? The money is all gone.”

^16-17 Joseph said, “Bring your livestock. I’ll trade you food for livestock since your money’s run out.” So they brought Joseph their livestock. He traded them food for their horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. He got them through that year in exchange for all their livestock.

^18-19 When that year was over, the next year rolled around and they were back, saying, “Master, it’s no secret to you that we’re broke: our money’s gone and we’ve traded you all our livestock. We’ve nothing left to barter with but our bodies and our farms. What use are our bodies and our land if we stand here and starve to death right in front of you? Trade us food for our bodies and our land. We’ll be slaves to Pharaoh and give up our land—all we ask is seed for survival, just enough to live on and keep the farms alive.”

^20-21 So Joseph bought up all the farms in Egypt for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his land—the famine was that bad. That’s how Pharaoh ended up owning all the land and the people ended up slaves; Joseph reduced the people to slavery from one end of Egypt to the other.

²² Joseph made an exception for the priests. He didn’t buy their land because they received a fixed salary from Pharaoh and were able to live off of that salary. So they didn’t need to sell their land.

^23-24 Joseph then announced to the people: “Here’s how things stand: I’ve bought you and your land for Pharaoh. In exchange I’m giving you seed so you can plant the ground. When the crops are harvested, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh and keep four-fifths for yourselves, for seed for yourselves and your families—you’re going to be able to feed your children!”

²⁵ They said, “You’ve saved our lives! Master, we’re grateful and glad to be slaves to Pharaoh.”

²⁶ Joseph decreed a land law in Egypt that is still in effect, A Fifth Goes to Pharaoh. Only the priests’ lands were not owned by Pharaoh.

* * *

^27-28 And so Israel settled down in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property and flourished. They became a large company of people. Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. In all, he lived 147 years.

^29-30 When the time came for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said, “Do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh, a sign that you’re loyal and true to me to the end. Don’t bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me alongside them.”

“I will,” he said. “I’ll do what you’ve asked.”

³¹ Israel said, “Promise me.” Joseph promised.

Israel bowed his head in submission and gratitude from his bed.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

This is the historic background story of what lies ahead for God’s people before the great Exodus from this land of Egypt.  Working for this Pharoah under Joseph’s direction was a necessary way to stay alive.  Looking ahead…over the years new leadership will demand harsh, oppressive slavery from God’s people because “they are growing in great numbers and we must control them”.  But God steps in to correct the situation. 

Joseph was put in a position of power.  After all that was done to Joseph by his brothers, he could have used his power to avenge and keep all the riches of Egypt for himself.  But he did not.  God-in-him, with God’s wisdom of strategic thinking, led Joseph to use the position to help everyone, God’s people and the Egyptians!  Camp on that thought before we move on. Let us not lose this powerful lesson of what God does in us.  God puts in places with purpose.  His will and His purpose in us are used to help others know who He is.  That’s how He works.  That’s how His love works in us and through us.  It’s not about us.  Life is about God and His best for us—also known as His will working in and through us.  I’m pretty sure Joseph came to understand exactly this way of thinking which led to his actions.

Know God.  Know that nothing escapes the notice of God.  God is with us.  Always.  We must respond to life knowing God and knowing He is with us and is always at work within us.  Why?  Because of His great love for us!

Another generation ends with Jacob death but is passed on to Joseph and his brothers.  The story of God in his people is just beginning.  The Genesis of God’s people teaches dramatic lessons about who God is and how He works in the lives of His beloved.  Stay tuned!

Lord,

You are amazing in your ways!  Your love is boundless, unchanging, and limitless!  Your mercies are fresh each day.  Your grace is undeserved but accepted with tremendous gratitude.  Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for your provisions and protection. Thank you for all you have done, are doing and will do to transform my thinking and behaving to more like you in every way.  Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for not giving up on me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Just hearing good news doesn’t really sink into our being until we experience it with all our senses, does it?  Just hearing about a new show on Netflix means nothing until we watch it ourselves.  Hearing about a new restaurant doesn’t mean anything until you have smelled and then tasted the food and experienced the service.  I don’t know about you but I don’t buy anything to wear until my hands have felt the material.  We love to see, hear, taste, smell and touch until we know for ourselves that what people are saying is true.

God knows.  God gave us our senses to explore and discover new things to see if they are good for us.  God also gave us emotions from His own heart to ours of pure love that never fails.  God knows us from the inside out.  He knows our fears of the unknown.  He knows everything about us because He created us.  God offers peace to Jacob on his way to see the son he thought was dead. 

God soothes Jacob’s mind in yet another dream/vision with “Do not fear…”.  Jacob is old.  Very old.  Joseph, his son who now has power to get his family through the great famine, is going to now take care of Jacob and the family in another land.  It’s hard on older people who find security in their homeland they worked so hard to establish.  God knows that.  God’s plan and promise will accommodate Jacob’s emotions and fears with comfort as only God can.  That’s how God works! 

Genesis 46, The Message

So Israel set out on the journey with everything he owned. He arrived at Beersheba and worshiped, offering sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

² God spoke to Israel in a vision that night: “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Yes?” he said. “I’m listening.”

^3-4 God said, “I am the God of your father. Don’t be afraid of going down to Egypt. I’m going to make you a great nation there. I’ll go with you down to Egypt; I’ll also bring you back here. And when you die, Joseph will be with you; with his own hand he’ll close your eyes.”

^5-7 Then Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons loaded their father and their little ones and their wives on the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They arrived in Egypt with the livestock and the wealth they had accumulated in Canaan. Jacob brought everyone in his family with him—sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters. Everyone.

⁸ These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his descendants, who went to Egypt:

Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

⁹ Reuben’s sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

¹⁰ Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

¹¹ Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹² Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (Er and Onan had already died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

¹³ Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

¹⁴ Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

¹⁵ These are the sons that Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram. There was also his daughter Dinah. Altogether, sons and daughters, they numbered thirty-three.

¹⁶ Gad’s sons: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

¹⁷ Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Also their sister Serah, and Beriah’s sons, Heber and Malkiel.

¹⁸ These are the children that Zilpah, the maid that Laban gave to his daughter Leah, bore to Jacob—sixteen of them.

^19-21 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph was the father of two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, from his marriage to Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. They were born to him in Egypt. Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

²² These are the children born to Jacob through Rachel—fourteen.

²³ Dan’s son: Hushim.

²⁴ Naphtali’s sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

²⁵ These are the children born to Jacob through Bilhah, the maid Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven.

^26-27 Summing up, all those who went down to Egypt with Jacob—his own children, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six. Counting in the two sons born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who ended up in Egypt numbered seventy.

* * *

^28-29 Jacob sent Judah on ahead to get directions to Goshen from Joseph. When they got to Goshen, Joseph gave orders for his chariot and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. The moment Joseph saw him, he threw himself on his neck and wept. He wept a long time.

³⁰ Israel said to Joseph, “I’m ready to die. I’ve looked into your face—you are indeed alive.”

^31-34 Joseph then spoke to his brothers and his father’s family. “I’ll go and tell Pharaoh, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, all of whom lived in Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they’ve always made their living by raising livestock. And they’ve brought their flocks and herds with them, along with everything else they own.’ When Pharaoh calls you in and asks what kind of work you do, tell him, ‘Your servants have always kept livestock for as long as we can remember—we and our parents also.’ That way he’ll let you stay apart in the area of Goshen—for Egyptians look down on anyone who is a shepherd.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

ROLL CALL is taken of the Jacob’s family so we get the picture of this enormous caravan of people and livestock making the trip to Egypt.  It is also a reminder of God’s promise to make a great nation from Jacob’s offspring.  The Twelve Tribes of Israel begins with these sons of Jacob.  Jacob was renamed Israel by God.  Israel is the nation of God’s people who will thrive in this new land.  God’s Plan and Promise beginning with Abraham.

ALL THE FEELS

The new leader of the family is clearly Joseph. Imagine Joseph racing to meet his father in the land of Goshen!  Imagine him tumbling quickly from his chariot and running to meet his aged father!  Joseph “wept for a long time” on the neck of his father.  Home is where your heart is. Home is where our family is.  Reconnecting with his father overwhelmed both father and son.  “I’m ready to die. I’ve looked into your face—you are indeed alive”, says this father to his long-lost son.

I’m now thinking of another father and son story that Jesus told.  This son went out on his own, thinking his way was the best way.  He took his inheritance from his father and partied hard.  He had friends as long as he had money.  When all his resources where gone, he then thought of home. Ashamed, humiliated, ready to eat what the pigs ate, he finally made his way back home.  Here’s the good part; Jesus relates that the Father RAN to meet him when he saw his son making his way back home.  I imagine that this father and son moment was just as emotional as the reconnection of Jacob to his son, Joseph.  When we reconnect to whom we belong joy is indescribable, beyond our wildest thinking, with our emotions off the charts.  It involves a peace that only Jesus can give. 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  –Jesus (John 14:27)

When we come home to God, the Father, through Jesus Christ, His Son, all our senses “taste and see that the Lord is good”. We begin to know from our experiences that Our Father’s mercies endure forever for great is the faithfulness of God.  (Refer to the Psalms that are full of the Truth of God!)  God is forever.  Are we forever connected to Him in all areas of our lives using all our senses? 

When we believe, repent to the Father in the name of His Son, we come home to all He has for us.  We will want for nothing because our souls will be filled.  Our hunger and thirst for something beyond ourselves will be filled.  The Holy Spirit, who is God, comes to reside in us, becoming a “Holy Sense”, if you will, to add to our created sense of being.  God speaks through His Holy Spirit to us, fulfilling His promise to always and forever be with us.  He will guide, correct, comfort with peace, alleviate our fears, and give us wisdom for this journey while leading us to His best for us—His perfect will and purposeful plan!  How do I know?  I came home.

Come home.  See, hear, taste and feel for yourselves the love of God.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.  Psalm 34:8-9

Lord,

Thank you for meeting me on the road to our forever relationship. Thank you for all you have provided, are providing and will provide as our relationship grows more intimate.  Thank you for transforming my heart and mind while filling my soul.  I am so grateful for who you are and what you do for your created who believe what you say.  I believe.  Thank you for forgiving me and loving me the way you do.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Before we “move that bus”—try to imagine someone in your family you thought was dead and buried, coming back to life!  What are all the “feels”?  What is going on in the minds of those who lost greatly but then found the one they loved so deeply? Would we be speechless at first?  Would the emotion of seeing them overwhelm us, weaken our knees to the point of siting down, catching our breath from the gasp of surprise?  Who we thought was dead is alive again!  What?!

Could these kinds of feels be how the disciples felt when suddenly Jesus appeared to them, scars and all, in the room where they hiding, thinking all was lost?  They saw him crucified on a cross.  Terrified, they watched him die from a distance.  They hid, fearful for their own lives.  Then after three days, there Jesus was, standing right in front of them, asking for a sandwich! 

These thoughts occur to me as we read of Jacob/Israel hearing the news that Joseph, his beloved son, is alive and well.  He is numb.  Earlier in the story, Jacob still mourning over the loss of Joseph, lamented, “I don’t have anything, I’ve lost everything” when the brothers asked to bring Benjamin with them to Egypt to buy food from “the man”.  But God…God, in spite of what humans do, is still fulfilling His plan and promises.  That’s how God works! Jacob unknowingly had it all because God had it all under control.  Wow.  Camp there for a bit, friends! 

In Jacob’s mind, Joseph was gone forever.  Joseph, favored son, who he thought was lost forever was moved into position by God to another land in order to save the sons of Israel, “the remnant”, who will carry on God’s promise to Abraham.  Wow, just wow!

God is the main character of His Story.  Read of this big reveal with that thought in mind—God is the Star of the Story.  Joseph reveals God with his extreme forgiveness to his brothers; along with what God has done IN Joseph as he shares God’s plan for all of them!  Amazing!  Are you excited?  I am! Because God is STILL at work in all of us!   When we think we have nothing, that is a lie.  We actually have everything because of God in us who believe, really believe!  Then we realize God is all we need!

Genesis 45, The Message

^1-2 Joseph couldn’t hold himself in any longer, keeping up a front before all his attendants. He cried out, “Leave! Clear out—everyone leave!” So there was no one with Joseph when he identified himself to his brothers. But his sobbing was so violent that the Egyptians couldn’t help but hear him. The news was soon reported to Pharaoh’s palace.

³ Joseph spoke to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?” But his brothers couldn’t say a word. They were speechless—they couldn’t believe what they were hearing and seeing.

^4-8 “Come closer to me,” Joseph said to his brothers. They came closer. “I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt.

^9-11 “Hurry back to my father. Tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: I’m master of all of Egypt. Come as fast as you can and join me here. I’ll give you a place to live in Goshen where you’ll be close to me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and anything else you can think of. I’ll take care of you there completely. There are still five more years of famine ahead; I’ll make sure all your needs are taken care of, you and everyone connected with you—you won’t want for a thing.’

^12-13 “Look at me. You can see for yourselves, and my brother Benjamin can see for himself, that it’s me, my own mouth, telling you all this. Tell my father all about the high position I hold in Egypt, tell him everything you’ve seen here, but don’t take all day—hurry up and get my father down here.”

^14-15 Then Joseph threw himself on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He then kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Only then were his brothers able to talk with him.

¹⁶ The story was reported in Pharaoh’s palace: “Joseph’s brothers have come.” It was good news to Pharaoh and all who worked with him.

^17-18 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘This is the plan: Load up your pack animals; go to Canaan, get your father and your families and bring them back here. I’ll settle you on the best land in Egypt—you’ll live off the fat of the land.’

^19-20 “Also tell them this: ‘Here’s what I want you to do: Take wagons from Egypt to carry your little ones and your wives and load up your father and come back. Don’t worry about having to leave things behind; the best in all of Egypt will be yours.’”

^21-23 And they did just that, the sons of Israel. Joseph gave them the wagons that Pharaoh had promised and food for the trip. He outfitted all the brothers in brand-new clothes, but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and several suits of clothes. He sent his father these gifts: ten donkeys loaded with Egypt’s best products and another ten donkeys loaded with grain and bread, provisions for his father’s journey back.

²⁴ Then he sent his brothers off. As they left he told them, “Take it easy on the journey; try to get along with each other.”

^25-28 They left Egypt and went back to their father Jacob in Canaan. When they told him, “Joseph is still alive—and he’s the ruler over the whole land of Egypt!” he went numb; he couldn’t believe his ears. But the more they talked, telling him everything that Joseph had told them and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the blood started to flow again—their father Jacob’s spirit revived. Israel said, “I’ve heard enough—my son Joseph is still alive. I’ve got to go and see him before I die.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Joseph was not perfect but through the years he was been taught by God that forgiveness leads to peace and reconciliation in many ways.  Forgiveness releases the anger that leads to bitterness.  Forgiveness restores love.  The proof of God’s work is seen as Joseph names his first son.  “Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh (Forget), saying, “God made me forget all my hardships and my parental home.” (Genesis 41:51) God’s work in Joseph was to not on forgive but to forget the pain.  The scars might still be there, but true forgiveness releases us from the prison of bitterness.

Yes, God molded and sculpted Joseph from the inside out as he sat in the dark places of the prisons brought on by no fault of his own.  God used these times of humiliation to rid him of all the arrogance we saw in Joseph as a favored son of Jacob.  Integrity and wisdom filled his heart, mind and soul with all of God in him.  The Egyptians saw it.  Then Pharoah, recognized God in Joseph.  “You’re the man!” “God is in you!” God in Joseph saved God’s people from death by starvation.  What God did in Joseph saved the sons of Israel fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham.

I love the humor of humanness that is tucked into this story.  As Joseph says goodbye, he says to his brothers, “Take it easy on the journey; try to get along with each other.”  Okay, so maybe we haven’t forgotten everything.  Will new-found riches be the return of greed and arrogance?  It happens.  Beware, Joseph might be saying.

Consider…

The lost, starved by love, seeking mercy and grace, think they have nothing.  Is that you?  Nothing could be farther from the Truth.  Jesus is the Way to Truth who gives Life eternal.  God sent Jesus, His One and Only, to save us from all our sins because of His great love for us.  A glimpse of God’s act of forgiveness is portrayed in and through Joseph.

Know this…

We do not have to go through what Jesus went through to redeem us. God’s work to save us was completely, once and for all, accomplished in and by Jesus.  Our debt of sin is paid in full.  Forgiveness is offered, free of charge, no matter what you have done or what you are doing now.  Right where you sit, forgiveness is ready to overwhelm you with peace, joy and love.  This forgiveness is complete as Jesus said from the cross—“It is finished”.  AND our sins are “remembered no more” by God.  Our part is to simply say yes to Jesus, believing as we repent—offering our sorry in exchange for his forgiveness.  Let God do the rest.

Lord,

The story of You in Joseph bring tears to our eyes, realizing that forgiveness is a release from the prison of sin—a prison we built for ourselves.  Thank you for setting me free to love, forgive, and show mercy to those who hurt me like you did for me.  May I never forget you, who you are and what you did.  May I never take advantage or think lightly of the cost paid for my life.

In Jesus Name, For You Glory, Amen

AND THAT’S NOT THE END OF THE STORY!  Stay tuned…

If we are believers and followers of God and His ways, asking for His help, we begin to grow and mature on life’s journey.  We see ourselves begin to change the way we think, act, react and respond to circumstance and to others.  We become wise by asking God for wisdom. Wisdom is defined as becoming more skillful at living life in ways that help not harm us and those around us.  When God is leading us, a turnaround happens in our thinking and behaving. 

When God abides in us and we in Him; our hearts change.  We will make mistakes but our imperfections are forgiven and lessons are taught that help us the next time a temptation appears or a life circumstance becomes challenging.  God grows and matures us daily.  He is the potter; we are the clay. He consistently reshapes and remolds until beauty comes from the all the imperfections.  He pinches off what doesn’t belong and adds what will make us stronger.  Yes, we might be cracked pots, but when God enters our being and begins working on us; we become His masterpieces—His work of art, leaving His imprint on our hearts, minds and souls. 

This work is possible because of Jesus who saved us from our sins, bringing us into God’s Kingdom.  Turnaround lives are God’s specialty brought about by His love, mercy and grace.

The story of God in Joseph and His brothers is coming to a climax.  We cannot miss what God has been doing in the lives of Joseph’s once cruel brothers.  The brothers have grown a great respect for their father, Jacob (Israel).  Where love seemed absolutely absent, love now drives them to save the youngest brother, favored by their father.  This was NOT the attitude of the ten brothers’ minds and hearts when Joseph lived among them!

Look what God is doing in and through Joseph.  Joseph had a worldly “right” to repay evil for evil to his brothers but he did not.  God’s wisdom filled Joseph to do what was right in God’s thinking—to forgive. 

We will find that God has been working on Joseph and his family all along…God is and always will be in control as He fulfills His promises to us.

Genesis 44, The Message

^1-2 Joseph ordered his house steward: “Fill the men’s bags with food—all they can carry—and replace each one’s money at the top of the bag. Then put my chalice, my silver chalice, in the top of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his food.” He did as Joseph ordered.

^3-5 At break of day the men were sent off with their donkeys. They were barely out of the city when Joseph said to his house steward, “Run after them. When you catch up with them, say, ‘Why did you pay me back evil for good? This is the chalice my master drinks from; he also uses it for divination. This is outrageous!’”

⁶ He caught up with them and repeated all this word for word.

^7-9 They said, “What is my master talking about? We would never do anything like that! Why, the money we found in our bags earlier, we brought back all the way from Canaan—do you think we’d turn right around and steal it back from your master? If that chalice is found on any of us, he’ll die; and the rest of us will be your master’s slaves.”

¹⁰ The steward said, “Very well then, but we won’t go that far. Whoever is found with the chalice will be my slave; the rest of you can go free.”

^11-12 They outdid each other in putting their bags on the ground and opening them up for inspection. The steward searched their bags, going from oldest to youngest. The chalice showed up in Benjamin’s bag.

¹³ They ripped their clothes in despair, loaded up their donkeys, and went back to the city.

¹⁴ Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers got back. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him.

¹⁵ Joseph accused them: “How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this.”

¹⁶ Judah as spokesman for the brothers said, “What can we say, master? What is there to say? How can we prove our innocence? God is behind this, exposing how bad we are. We stand guilty before you and ready to be your slaves—we’re all in this together, the rest of us as guilty as the one with the chalice.”

¹⁷ “I’d never do that to you,” said Joseph. “Only the one involved with the chalice will be my slave. The rest of you are free to go back to your father.”

^18-20 Judah came forward. He said, “Please, master; can I say just one thing to you? Don’t get angry. Don’t think I’m presumptuous—you’re the same as Pharaoh as far as I’m concerned. You, master, asked us, ‘Do you have a father and a brother?’ And we answered honestly, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only son left from that mother. And his father loves him more than anything.’

^21-22 “Then you told us, ‘Bring him down here so I can see him.’ We told you, master, that it was impossible: ‘The boy can’t leave his father; if he leaves, his father will die.’

²³ “And then you said, ‘If your youngest brother doesn’t come with you, you won’t be allowed to see me.’

^24-26 “When we returned to our father, we told him everything you said to us. So when our father said, ‘Go back and buy some more food,’ we told him flatly, ‘We can’t. The only way we can go back is if our youngest brother is with us. We aren’t allowed to even see the man if our youngest brother doesn’t come with us.’

^27-29 “Your servant, my father, told us, ‘You know very well that my wife gave me two sons. One turned up missing. I concluded that he’d been ripped to pieces. I’ve never seen him since. If you now go and take this one and something bad happens to him, you’ll put my old gray, grieving head in the grave for sure.’

^30-32 “And now, can’t you see that if I show up before your servant, my father, without the boy, this son with whom his life is so bound up, the moment he realizes the boy is gone, he’ll die on the spot. He’ll die of grief and we, your servants who are standing here before you, will have killed him. And that’s not all. I got my father to release the boy to show him to you by promising, ‘If I don’t bring him back, I’ll stand condemned before you, Father, all my life.’

^33-34 “So let me stay here as your slave, not this boy. Let the boy go back with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don’t make me go back and watch my father die in grief!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Lies must be brought to the light of day and repented in our turnaround.

For twenty-two years, Joseph’s brothers had carefully covered their sins. They hadn’t told the truth and apparently had reaped no serious consequences. Furthermore, they weren’t afraid of being exposed, because the only person who could witness against them was Joseph, and they were sure he was dead (v. 20). But the truth had to come out, both for their good and the success of God’s plan of salvation for the world.

When the eleven brothers left Joseph’s house, they had every reason to be joyful. They hadn’t been arrested for stealing the grain money, Simeon had been released, Benjamin was safely traveling with them, and they were going home at last.

But their joy was only a mirage. Authentic joy and peace can never be based on lies; they must be founded on truth. To build on lies is to build on the sand and invite certain judgment. Apart from righteousness, there can be no real peace, but only a fragile truce that eventually erupts into war. “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Is. 32:17). God’s way may be narrower and harder, but it leads to peace.

Judah was now the spokesman for the family. True, it was Judah who suggested they sell Joseph (37:26, 27), and it was Judah who unwittingly committed incest with his daughter-in-law (chapter 38), but by the grace of God, people can change and make new beginnings.  We applaud Judah and praise God for Judah’s turnaround thinking!

In his opening words, Judah made it clear that he wouldn’t even try to defend himself and his brothers, for what could he say? It’s when guilty sinners’ mouths are shut and they stop defending themselves that God can show them mercy (Rom. 3:19). The words “God is punishing us for our sins” don’t refer only to the discovery of the grain money or to the silver cup. The statement also refers to their hidden sins, the way they had treated Joseph and their father years before. On their first visit to Egypt, they had expressed this feeling of guilt and had moved Joseph to tears (42:21–24).

It was indeed a new Judah who stood before Joseph, a man whom Joseph knew could be trusted. The time had now come for Joseph to reveal himself to his brothers.

The Big Reveal will come in tomorrow’s passage! Stay tuned!  Oh yes, it gets even better!

Today we respond with gratitude for what we know of Jesus.  We need to remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is the Surety for those who have trusted Him (Heb. 7:22). He has assumed the responsibility for us to make sure that we will come to the Father (John 14:1–6). Jesus is bringing “many sons to glory” (Heb. 2:10), and He will see to it that each of them arrives safely.

Judah was willing to take Benjamin’s place and separate himself from his father, but Jesus actually took our place and died for us on the cross, crying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). He is our Surety and He cannot fail.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand

(Songwriters: Keith Getty / Stuart Townend)

Lord,

Thank you for turning me around in my thinking and in my behaving.  Keep working on me, in me and through me until I see you face to face. Thank you, Lord!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Steps to Forgiveness

Part Two

It takes a changed, transformed heart to forgive cruel abusive behavior lodged against our whole being.  From the inside out and outside in we are hurt.  We feel useless to the world because of our brokenness.  But then life changes when God shows up and puts His guiding Hand on us—when we allow Him to come inside.  God applies a healing balm of Love that is beyond our human thinking.  He begins repairing and restoring our hearts that was broken into pieces.  Our minds are remolded and reshaped toward a new way of thinking and ultimate living.  The dark emptiness of our souls begins to fill with the Light of His glorious Spirit.  God is preparing us for the final step of this transformation from dark to light.  And that step is called forgiveness—of the ones who hurt us and others.  

God knows forgiveness and how to give it when it is least deserved.  “Forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” –Jesus, while suffering on the Cross for our sins by His abusers, mockers, and murderers.  Jesus prays for his enemies.  Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth to forgive us of our sins and to show us how to forgive.  Hold that thought.

Meanwhile, back to the Genesis of forgiveness living—Joseph has all the power in Egypt to “pay back” all the abuse his brothers did to him.  But God was with Joseph and that’s not how God works.  God has transformed Joseph.  Joseph is different.  Joseph thinks and lives differently from everyone around him, from those who now serve him to the Pharoah, the only one higher in rank in this world than him.  “He’s the man” proclaims Pharoah.  “God is with Him” proclaims those who know Joseph.

God uses a famine to change the minds of Joseph’s abusers.  God also transformed the mind of Joseph, the abused.  Godly wisdom is poured into Joseph as God grooms him as a leader, a compassionate leader—one who forgives.

We are taking this long, continuing saga, in small chunks of exciting drama as a famine changes the inner thoughts and feelings of the main characters, with God transforming the minds of His people.  Remember the promise made to Abraham as we read this powerful restoration story of forgiveness.  It is forgiveness that keeps the promise alive and well.  God shows the Way.  God does not fail in keeping His promises!

Genesis 43, The Message

^1-2 The famine got worse. When they had eaten all the food they had brought back from Egypt, their father said, “Go back and get some more food.”

^3-5 But Judah said, “The man warned us most emphatically, ‘You won’t so much as see my face if you don’t have your brother with you.’ If you’re ready to release our brother to go with us, we’ll go down and get you food. But if you’re not ready, we aren’t going. What would be the use? The man told us, ‘You won’t so much as see my face if you don’t have your brother with you.’”

⁶ Israel said, “Why are you making my life so difficult! Why did you ever tell the man you had another brother?”

⁷ They said, “The man pressed us hard, asking pointed questions about our family: ‘Is your father alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered his questions. How did we know that he’d say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

^8-10 Judah pushed his father Israel. “Let the boy go; I’ll take charge of him. Let us go and be on our way—if we don’t get going, we’re all going to starve to death—we and you and our children, too! I’ll take full responsibility for his safety; it’s my life on the line for his. If I don’t bring him back safe and sound, I’m the guilty one; I’ll take all the blame. If we had gone ahead in the first place instead of procrastinating like this, we could have been there and back twice over.”

^11-14 Their father Israel gave in. “If it has to be, it has to be. But do this: stuff your packs with the finest products from the land you can find and take them to the man as gifts—some balm and honey, some spices and perfumes, some pistachios and almonds. And take plenty of money—pay back double what was returned to your sacks; that might have been a mistake. Take your brother and get going. Go back to the man. And may The Strong God give you grace in that man’s eyes so that he’ll send back your other brother along with Benjamin. For me, nothing’s left; I’ve lost everything.”

^15-16 The men took the gifts, double the money, and Benjamin. They lost no time in getting to Egypt and meeting Joseph. When Joseph saw that they had Benjamin with them, he told his house steward, “Take these men into the house and make them at home. Butcher an animal and prepare a meal; these men are going to eat with me at noon.”

^17-18 The steward did what Joseph had said and took them inside. But they became anxious when they were brought into Joseph’s home, thinking, “It’s the money; he thinks we ran off with the money on our first trip down here. And now he’s got us where he wants us—he’s going to turn us into slaves and confiscate our donkeys.”

^19-22 So they went up to Joseph’s house steward and talked to him in the doorway. They said, “Listen, master. We came down here one other time to buy food. On our way home, the first night out we opened our bags and found our money at the mouth of the bag—the exact amount we’d paid. We’ve brought it all back and have plenty more to buy more food with. We have no idea who put the money in our bags.”

²³ The steward said, “Everything’s in order. Don’t worry. Your God and the God of your father must have given you a bonus. I was paid in full.” And with that, he presented Simeon to them.

^24-25 He then took them inside Joseph’s house and made them comfortable—gave them water to wash their feet and saw to the feeding of their donkeys. The brothers spread out their gifts as they waited for Joseph to show up at noon—they had been told that they were to have dinner with him.

²⁶ When Joseph got home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought and bowed respectfully before him.

²⁷ Joseph welcomed them and said, “And your old father whom you mentioned to me, how is he? Is he still alive?”

²⁸ They said, “Yes—your servant our father is quite well, very much alive.” And they again bowed respectfully before him.

²⁹ Then Joseph picked out his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son. He asked, “And is this your youngest brother that you told me about?” Then he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”

^30-31 Deeply moved on seeing his brother and about to burst into tears, Joseph hurried out into another room and had a good cry. Then he washed his face, got a grip on himself, and said, “Let’s eat.”

^32-34 Joseph was served at his private table, the brothers off by themselves and the Egyptians off by themselves (Egyptians won’t eat at the same table with Hebrews; it’s repulsive to them). The brothers were seated facing Joseph, arranged in order of their age, from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at one another wide-eyed, wondering what would happen next. When the brothers’ plates were served from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s plate came piled high, far more so than his brothers. And so the brothers feasted with Joseph, drinking freely.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” –Jesus, Matthew 5:43-45

^“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:32

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” –Jesus, Matthew 6:14-15

“…forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”  –Jesus, Matthew 18:35

God rescues, renews, repairs and restores us when we ask for His forgiveness.  God also provides for our needs, and forgives those who forgive others.  Jesus taught his disciples and us how to pray for those who sin against us.…

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
    as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
    but rescue us from the evil one.

In Jesus Name, For His Glory, Amen!

But wait—there’s more to the story!  See you tomorrow!

PART ONE

The extent of hurt, mocking, slander and abuse varies in each individual’s experience. Outcomes from the hurt and pain varies.  However, lessons from God in and through the heartbreaking, soul wrenching, mind altering pain are priceless.  Yes, the hurt may vary, but the forgiveness does not. 

God’s story in Joseph teaches us about holy forgiveness.  This kind of God-led, Spirit prompted forgiveness is filled with wisdom and is the forerunner of the complete, once and for all forgiveness that Jesus, God’s Son, will provide for all the sins of the world who believe in Him.

Think of those who hurt you so fiercely in your past.  What would you do if they came into the room, where you are right now, asking for help?  Is your stomach turning over just thinking about it?  What if your abusers were so far removed from what they did to you that they don’t even recognize who you are?  This is what is happening in our passage today.

Pause to think, pray, read and then let’s ask ourselves: How do I live my life “forgiving others as Christ has forgiven me”?  How important is this kind of forgiveness to my own life?

This passage is not the complete story—it gets even better! 

This passage leaves us with a “cliff hanger” until tomorrow!

Genesis 42, The Message

^1-2 When Jacob learned that there was food in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you sit around here and look at one another? I’ve heard that there is food in Egypt. Go down there and buy some so that we can survive and not starve to death.”

^3-5 Ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to get food. Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with them; he was afraid that something bad might happen to him. So Israel’s sons joined everyone else that was going to Egypt to buy food, for Canaan, too, was hit hard by the famine.

^6-7 Joseph was running the country; he was the one who gave out rations to all the people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they treated him with honor, bowing to him. Joseph recognized them immediately, but treated them as strangers and spoke roughly to them.

He said, “Where do you come from?”

“From Canaan,” they said. “We’ve come to buy food.”

⁸ Joseph knew who they were, but they didn’t know who he was.

⁹ Joseph, remembering the dreams he had dreamed of them, said, “You’re spies. You’ve come to look for our weak spots.”

^10-11 “No, master,” they said. “We’ve only come to buy food. We’re all the sons of the same man; we’re honest men; we’d never think of spying.”

¹² He said, “No. You’re spies. You’ve come to look for our weak spots.”

¹³ They said, “There were twelve of us brothers—sons of the same father in the country of Canaan. The youngest is with our father, and one is no more.”

^14-16 But Joseph said, “It’s just as I said, you’re spies. This is how I’ll test you. As Pharaoh lives, you’re not going to leave this place until your younger brother comes here. Send one of you to get your brother while the rest of you stay here in jail. We’ll see if you’re telling the truth or not. As Pharaoh lives, I say you’re spies.”

¹⁷ Then he threw them into jail for three days.

^18-20 On the third day, Joseph spoke to them. “Do this and you’ll live. I’m a God-fearing man. If you’re as honest as you say you are, one of your brothers will stay here in jail while the rest of you take the food back to your hungry families. But you have to bring your youngest brother back to me, confirming the truth of your speech—and not one of you will die.” They agreed.

²¹ Then they started talking among themselves. “Now we’re paying for what we did to our brother—we saw how terrified he was when he was begging us for mercy. We wouldn’t listen to him and now we’re the ones in trouble.”

²² Reuben broke in. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t hurt the boy’? But no, you wouldn’t listen. And now we’re paying for his murder.”

^23-24 Joseph had been using an interpreter, so they didn’t know that Joseph was understanding every word. Joseph turned away from them and cried. When he was able to speak again, he took Simeon and had him tied up, making a prisoner of him while they all watched.

²⁵ Then Joseph ordered that their sacks be filled with grain, that their money be put back in each sack, and that they be given rations for the road. That was all done for them.

²⁶ They loaded their food supplies on their donkeys and set off.

^27-28 When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get food for his donkey; there at the mouth of his bag was his money. He called out to his brothers, “My money has been returned; it’s right here in my bag!” They were puzzled—and frightened. “What’s God doing to us?”

^29-32 When they got back to their father Jacob, back in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened, saying, “The man who runs the country spoke to us roughly and accused us of being spies. We told him, ‘We are honest men and in no way spies. There were twelve of us brothers, sons of one father; one is gone and the youngest is with our father in Canaan.’

^33-34 “But the master of the country said, ‘Leave one of your brothers with me, take food for your starving families, and go. Bring your youngest brother back to me, proving that you’re honest men and not spies. And then I’ll give your brother back to you and you’ll be free to come and go in this country.’”

³⁵ As they were emptying their food sacks, each man came on his purse of money. On seeing their money, they and their father were upset.

³⁶ Their father said to them, “You’re taking everything I’ve got! Joseph’s gone, Simeon’s gone, and now you want to take Benjamin. If you have your way, I’ll be left with nothing.”

³⁷ Reuben spoke up: “I’ll put my two sons in your hands as hostages. If I don’t bring Benjamin back, you can kill them. Trust me with Benjamin; I’ll bring him back.”

³⁸ But Jacob refused. “My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead and he is all I have left. If something bad happens to him on the road, you’ll put my gray, sorrowing head in the grave.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Since the story is not over, we have lots of “feels” don’t we? 

Who troubles you most in this story of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers in time of need?

What are we thinking about the brothers now?  Are we cheering on Joseph as he talks roughly to them?  Are we wanting real revenge for Joseph?

What do we think is going on in Joseph’s mind as he meets the ones who put him in the position he is in today?  Oh, wait a minute, God provided a way for Joseph to be His leader even though his brothers sold him off as a slave to the Egyptians. 

Wait, what?  So, God works in us AND in our enemies, the ones who did us harm?

We are left with more questions than answers until the story is complete.  More tomorrow!!

Lord,

You have been working on me, since I ask you to enter in and do the work needed to transform my thinking that changes my behavior.  I know you are not finished with me yet, for I still have so many flaws in my behavior when it comes to those who hurt me.  You didn’t give up on Joseph’s brothers, so I know you are not giving up on me. You are amazing in the ways you work in our lives.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!

There is something to be said about landing that dream job, right?  So, we’re going to talk about doing just that!  I loved teaching in the public school system but then God moved me to a ministry of teaching that forced me to learn even more about the skills of teaching and training others to do what I do better than the way I do it for God’s glory.  I obeyed that call until God moved me another time to a place of spiritual stuckness while He prepared me for what came next. 

Looking back, pure obedience, even when I didn’t understand the direction we were going, was key to continuing the journey from being stuck to thriving.  Not being perfect, there was a bit of grumbling involved until God spoke to my heart about that, too.  But, I continued to follow Him.  Many things happen in our lives between here and there.  We learn that obedience to God, while continuing to grow in his character, are detrimental in the preparation He is doing in us for what comes next.  I’m still learning those lessons, but with a background of spiritual education from my Father, God, who still directs my path, I’m quicker to recognize God at work in me and defer to Him.

Later in life, God blessed me with my own dream job.  It was a professional teaching job that was beyond my wildest dreams!  We had all the resources we needed.  We were encouraged from officials of the Department of Defense to dream of ways to excite and encourage kids about pursuing science, technology, engineering and math as later careers.  God placed me with a dream team of creative educators who loved and cared as deeply for kids as I did.  The learning outcomes were off the charts! 

Then it was time for me to retire, to pause and reflect on my life.  Then, what came next was another ministry work that would help people find and follow Jesus.  When you think you are finished, God leads us on to what fulfills his purpose and plans for us—and others!  Retirement doesn’t seem to be part of his plan.  Until we see him face to face in His glory, He’s still working in us and for us.  He is not finished with us yet!

Did Joseph, stuck in jail for two more years, think life was over and it would always and forever be like this?  God was still working in him, for him and with him to fulfill God’s will and purpose for Joseph’s life AND for the lives of His people. 

God’s story continues…

Genesis 41, The Message

^1-4 Two years passed and Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile River. Seven cows came up out of the Nile, all shimmering with health, and grazed on the marsh grass. Then seven other cows, all skin and bones, came up out of the river after them and stood by them on the bank of the Nile. The skinny cows ate the seven healthy cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

^5-7 He went back to sleep and dreamed a second time: Seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, grew out of a single stalk. Then seven more ears grew up, but these were thin and dried out by the east wind. The thin ears swallowed up the full, healthy ears. Then Pharaoh woke up—another dream.

⁸ When morning came, he was upset. He sent for all the magicians and sages of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but they couldn’t interpret them to him.

^9-13 The head cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, “I just now remembered something—I’m sorry, I should have told you this long ago. Once when Pharaoh got angry with his servants, he locked me and the head baker in the house of the captain of the guard. We both had dreams on the same night, each dream with its own meaning. It so happened that there was a young Hebrew slave there with us; he belonged to the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, each dream separately. Things turned out just as he interpreted. I was returned to my position and the head baker was impaled.”

¹⁴ Pharaoh at once sent for Joseph. They brought him on the run from the jail cell. He cut his hair, put on clean clothes, and came to Pharaoh.

¹⁵ “I dreamed a dream,” Pharaoh told Joseph. “Nobody can interpret it. But I’ve heard that just by hearing a dream you can interpret it.”

¹⁶ Joseph answered, “Not I, but God. God will set Pharaoh’s mind at ease.”

^17-21 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. Seven cows, shimmering with health, came up out of the river and grazed on the marsh grass. On their heels seven more cows, all skin and bones, came up. I’ve never seen uglier cows anywhere in Egypt. Then the seven skinny, ugly cows ate up the first seven healthy cows. But you couldn’t tell by looking—after eating them up they were just as skinny and ugly as before. Then I woke up.

^22-24 “In my second dream I saw seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, growing out of a single stalk, and right behind them, seven other ears, shriveled, thin, and dried out by the east wind. And the thin ears swallowed up the full ears. I’ve told all this to the magicians but they can’t figure it out.”

^25-27 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s two dreams both mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven healthy cows are seven years and the seven healthy ears of grain are seven years—they’re the same dream. The seven sick and ugly cows that followed them up are seven years and the seven scrawny ears of grain dried out by the east wind are the same—seven years of famine.

^28-32 “The meaning is what I said earlier: God is letting Pharaoh in on what he is going to do. Seven years of plenty are on their way throughout Egypt. But on their heels will come seven years of famine, leaving no trace of the Egyptian plenty. As the country is emptied by famine, there won’t be even a scrap left of the previous plenty—the famine will be total. The fact that Pharaoh dreamed the same dream twice emphasizes God’s determination to do this and do it soon.

^33-36 “So, Pharaoh needs to look for a wise and experienced man and put him in charge of the country. Then Pharaoh needs to appoint managers throughout the country of Egypt to organize it during the years of plenty. Their job will be to collect all the food produced in the good years ahead and stockpile the grain under Pharaoh’s authority, storing it in the towns for food. This grain will be held back to be used later during the seven years of famine that are coming on Egypt. This way the country won’t be devastated by the famine.”

³⁷ This seemed like a good idea to Pharaoh and his officials.

³⁸ Then Pharaoh said to his officials, “Isn’t this the man we need? Are we going to find anyone else who has God’s spirit in him like this?”

^39-40 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You’re the man for us. God has given you the inside story—no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom. From now on, you’re in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you. Only as king will I be over you.”

^41-43 So Pharaoh commissioned Joseph: “I’m putting you in charge of the entire country of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and slipped it on Joseph’s hand. He outfitted him in robes of the best linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He put the second-in-command chariot at his disposal, and as he rode people shouted “Bravo!”

Joseph was in charge of the entire country of Egypt.

⁴⁴ Pharaoh told Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but no one in Egypt will make a single move without your stamp of approval.”

⁴⁵ Then Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah (God Speaks and He Lives). He also gave him an Egyptian wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On (Heliopolis).

And Joseph took up his duties over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he went to work for Pharaoh the king of Egypt. As soon as Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he began his work in Egypt.

* * *

^47-49 During the next seven years of plenty the land produced bumper crops. Joseph gathered up the food of the seven good years in Egypt and stored the food in cities. In each city he stockpiled surplus from the surrounding fields. Joseph collected so much grain—it was like the sand of the ocean!—that he finally quit keeping track.

^50-52 Joseph had two sons born to him before the years of famine came. Asenath, daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, was their mother. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh (Forget), saying, “God made me forget all my hardships and my parental home.” He named his second son Ephraim (Double Prosperity), saying, “God has prospered me in the land of my sorrow.”

^53-54 Then Egypt’s seven good years came to an end and the seven years of famine arrived, just as Joseph had said. All countries experienced famine; Egypt was the only country that had bread.

⁵⁵ When the famine spread throughout Egypt, the people called out in distress to Pharaoh, calling for bread. He told the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you.”

^56-57 As the famine got worse all over the country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold emergency supplies to the Egyptians. The famine was very bad. Soon the whole world was coming to buy supplies from Joseph. The famine was bad all over.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Waiting is hard, very hard, but it is necessary for God to do in us what is needed when the waiting is over and it’s time to do His will, not just for us, but for all His people.

God is in the wait.  When we are the busiest, we love reading the Psalmist who writes, “Be still, and know that I am God!” But the rest of the verse says, “I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (Psalm 46:10) Being still is finally letting go of our will, all of it, to seek God’s will and plan.  This happens in the spiritual stuck-ness of our lives making our “jails of wait” a time of preparation by God.  Be still, let go and let God do what He must in us. This will help ALL God’s people and bring Him glory.

God gave Joseph, formally abused by his brothers, sold into slavery, slandered and then ignored in prison for doing good, the dream job no one saw coming.  The Dreamer finally lands a dream job from God!  The work required great wisdom from a man of God who follows God’s lead.  As Pharaoh said, “You’re the man!”

Believing in God no matter what has been done to you in the past, following God in obedience, then giving God all the credit for the wisdom He gives us leads to outcomes we could never think or imagine.  That’s how God works.  And It’s not just for us!  What and who we are and what we do affects everyone around us.

Remember God is always at work.  And God is always with us, even in the wait.

One last thought that gives us insight into how God is working in Joseph.  He named his first son, Manasseh, which means “remember no more”.  Joseph wanted to put the past behind him and God helped him do just that—probably taught in prison where God was with him, teaching him the wisdom He would need for his dream job that was just around the corner!

What do we need to “remember no more” and move on to what God has for us right now?

Lord,

Your story in your people provides such great insight with amazing lessons of your wisdom, power and strength available to all who faithfully trust and obey you!  I’m listening today for my own life.  Do what you must to prepare me for what is next Papa God.  I know your love, mercy and grace will follow me all the days of my life.

In Jesus Name, Amen

I have yet to hear anyone say, “I love to wait, waiting is enjoyable.”  Nope, I have never heard this uttered, at least not in my circle of friends and family!  We don’t like to be put on hold for any amount of time.  Who enjoys hearing from the company you are calling, “Let me put you on hold, I’ll be right back”? We hear the music play that is supposed to soothe us while waiting but it just becomes more annoying to us.  To be put on hold is not something any human on earth likes.

Joseph has been “on hold” stuck in prison for doing no wrong.  The wife of Pharaoh’s aide told lies about him that landed him in this dark place.  He does have experiences with dark holes, however.  He probably remembers being thrown into the cistern by his brothers.  But then, He sees a glimmer of hope when he interprets the dreams of the Pharoah’s baker and cupbearer, but hope fades as he is not remembered for helping. 

But this story does not end here as we will read tomorrow.  Two more years will pass until Joseph is lifted out of the hole he is in and put back where he would rather be.  We wonder why he had to wait so long to be exonerated from the lies told about him. Is God still with him?

Genesis 40, The Message

^1-4 As time went on, it happened that the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt crossed their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the head cupbearer and the head baker, and put them in custody under the captain of the guard; it was the same jail where Joseph was held. The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to see to their needs.

^4-7 After they had been in custody for a while, the king’s cupbearer and baker, while being held in the jail, both had a dream on the same night, each dream having its own meaning. When Joseph arrived in the morning, he noticed that they were feeling low. So he asked them, the two officials of Pharaoh who had been thrown into jail with him, “What’s wrong? Why the long faces?”

⁸ They said, “We dreamed dreams and there’s no one to interpret them.”

Joseph said, “Don’t interpretations come from God? Tell me the dreams.”

^9-11 First the head cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me with three branches on it: It budded, blossomed, and the clusters ripened into grapes. I was holding Pharaoh’s cup; I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and gave the cup to Pharaoh.”

^12-15 Joseph said, “Here’s the meaning. The three branches are three days. Within three days, Pharaoh will get you out of here and put you back to your old work—you’ll be giving Pharaoh his cup just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. Only remember me when things are going well with you again—tell Pharaoh about me and get me out of this place. I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And since I’ve been here, I’ve done nothing to deserve being put in this hole.”

^16-17 When the head baker saw how well Joseph’s interpretation turned out, he spoke up: “My dream went like this: I saw three wicker baskets on my head; the top basket had assorted pastries from the bakery and birds were picking at them from the basket on my head.”

^18-19 Joseph said, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days; within three days Pharaoh will take off your head, impale you on a post, and the birds will pick your bones clean.”

^20-22 And sure enough, on the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday and he threw a feast for all his servants. He set the head cupbearer and the head baker in places of honor in the presence of all the guests. Then he restored the head cupbearer to his cupbearing post; he handed Pharaoh his cup just as before. And then he impaled the head baker on a post, following Joseph’s interpretations exactly.

²³ But the head cupbearer never gave Joseph another thought; he forgot all about him.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

When we are stuck, waiting in those dark places, we wonder the same thoughts, don’t we?  Where is God in all of this?  Is He still hearing me?  The answer is yes, He is still with us.  He will turn all the bad into good for His glory and purposes in us—in His time.  He will lift us up out of the dark pits mentally and emotionally.  He comes to us in those stuck places in our lives, and put us back on solid ground.  The Psalmist knew this and sang,

“Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    listen to my plea!
    Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
² Don’t put your servant on trial,
    for no one is innocent before you.
³ My enemy has chased me.
    He has knocked me to the ground
    and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.
⁴ I am losing all hope;
    I am paralyzed with fear.
⁵ I remember the days of old.
    I ponder all your great works
    and think about what you have done.
⁶ I lift my hands to you in prayer.
    I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude

⁷ Come quickly, Lord, and answer me,
    for my depression deepens.
Don’t turn away from me,
    or I will die.
⁸ Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
    for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
    for I give myself to you.
⁹ Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
    I run to you to hide me.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
    on a firm footing.
¹¹ For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.
    Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.
¹² In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies
    and destroy all my foes,
    for I am your servant.

Psalm 143

Friends, I have discovered that most of God’s great teaching in me takes place in the pit of my despair.  He has my attention.  My hearing is more keenly aware of who His is and what He wants for my life.  His “gracious Spirit then begins to lead me forward on firm footing” as I praise Him while stuck in the pit.  This is true rescue from my own will, control of time, while realizing who I love and want to serve with all my heart, mind and soul.

To be spiritually stuck in not necessary a bad thing…

Just last Sunday in church, we sang the popular contemporary song, “God Turn it Around”.  God will turn things around—in His time.  In the stuck places of our lives, God is doing a great work in us.  This work is deeply spiritual, full of love and compassion for us.  This work of salvation in our souls takes us from where we are to where God wants to be—holy and whole—ready to do his will.

Are you stuck on hold right now? 

Wholly lean on Jesus and know that He has not forgotten you.  Tell Jesus you trust him enough times each day to convince yourselves.  This exercise has been beneficial to me so I hope it is beneficial to you as well.  God promises to be with us always.  ALWAYS.  This promise is repeated many times in His Word.  Believe it. 

Hope is just around the corner with plans to help you, prosper you, in ways you cannot imagine right now.  Expect it. Believe that God knows what He is doing.  Trust Jesus who gave His life for you and me.  Have faith in the One and Only who rose from death in victory with power.  This same resurrection power is in us, available to us.  Tap into that power and watch and wait for what happens next!

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” Romans 8:15-17

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

“God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”  –Jesus, Matthew 28:20, The Message

Allow Paul’s prayer to be ours today…

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!  (Ephesians 3:20, The Message)

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”  (Ephesians 3:20, NLT)

In Jesus Name, Amen!  I trust in you, dear Jesus!  Yes!