The time has now come for Joseph...From the pit to Potiphar’s household to the prison to the palace. A long journey of thirteen years had passed by from the dream he told his family to this eventual day.By his dream he was ostracized and by a dream he will be aggrandize.This story will turn famine into our favor! From crisis into Christ’s faithfulness!
Do you think sometimes, somehow God had forgotten you? He gave you the reason to live, what with Him putting importance into your life by giving you His dream, His vision, but it is too slow in coming? Yes, too slow as if God doesn’t know what He is doing, or has He forgotten you? In His time, but many still insist it in their own time... That is why impatience comes in. So that many missed the blessings.
Joseph surely felt the same way.Turn your Bible at Gen.40:12-15,23;"I know(not God?)what the dream means,the three branches mean 3 days.Within 3 days Pharaoh will take you out of prison and return you to your position as his chief cup-bearer.And please HAVE SOME PITY ON ME WHEN YOU ARE BACK IN HIS FAVOR.MENTION ME TO PHARAOH, AND ASK HIM TO LET ME OUT OF HERE,for I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews from my homeland, and now I am here in jail, but I did nothing to deserve it. Pharaoh’s cup-bearer, however, promptly FORGOT ALL about Joseph, NEVER GIVING HIM ANOTHER THOUGHT."(my own paraphrase)
God’s time is the perfect time. He doesn’t want that any man should get the credit for all the good things He has planned for us. He alone deserve to get all the glory.
What is important for God before anything else is the image of Himself be seen in everyone of us. Our character. That in His time, we will be like Joseph who in verse 37,where Pharaoh had said;"Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the Spirit of God"! Pharaoh had seen God through Joseph!(NLT).
God’s perfect time is promotion time! Inside and out.
Your famine may not be for a physical bread, but understand that God is trying to tell you something in any area of your life to promote you into his favor.
Today, just like Joseph, our waiting for favor is just around the corner! This is the day that the Lord had made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Seat back and capture the essence of Joseph’s disposition of revealing the Wisdom from God as he Witnessed for God and showed the Will of God regarding such crucial situations.
Wisdom from God.
Witness for God.
Will of God.
The three points of my message is also with everyone who had believed in God ever since we accepted Jesus Christ in our life....
I-WISDOM FROM GOD v26-31
Joseph had interpreted the dream of the Pharaoh well... Notice how his interpretation introduces his God to the Pharaoh. The letter of James told us that if we need wisdom-if you want to know what God wants you to do-ask him and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking(Jas.1:5NLT).
We have a great difference from the wisdom of this world. All the magicians and wise men of Egypt could not interpret the dream. The same is true now. Does not wisdom cry? It is ready for us that wisdom be revealed to the rest of the world.
In these times of global warning, melting of the icecaps, hurricane Ike in the U.S., earthquake in China, collapse of world economies like the Lehman Brothers, wars in the Mideast, unrests in different countries to terrorisms...
Truly there is famine in the world today,a scarcity of everything. Only the wisdom from God could save us from such upheavals."Don’t turn your back on wisdom,for she will protect you.Love her,and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And whatever else you do,get judgment"(Prov.4:6-7 NLT).
Let the story of Joseph advise us to GET WISDOM FROM GOD alone,for from it you’ll turn these lack, scarce situation into your favor. The world would see who our God is through us!
Joseph have turned the impending famine into his promotion, let God promote you! He has look upon you in all His favor.Let Him surround you with His shield of favor(Psalm5:12).
Your calling is not only to show and to know the evils to come,the dangers,but also the remedies for such situation. Wisdom shows you how.
We hold the secret to the remedy.
II-WITNESS FOR GOD vv.25,28,32
Notice that in these verses;"God hath shewed Pharaoh what He is about to do..." It is a repetition, reminding the Pharaoh that Joseph is only a channel of the great Revealer of truth and of the future.A far cry to the Joseph in the dungeon of two years ago.
Joseph now acknowledged God as the Only One who can direct the paths thereby promoting man’s highest goods. It also shows how Joseph is the witness of God’s certainties of impending world crisis suggesting practical wisdom for such great an emergency.
Christians today have been given such mandate by Jesus, for we are no longer servants, or should I say prisoners(of this world order) for we are His friends since He will tell us all what Our Father had told Him?"Who else can tell you what is going to happen in the days ahead?Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Have I not proclaimed from ages past what purposes are for you? You are My witnesses-is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock--not one!"(Isa.44:7-8).
Jesus said before ascending back to His throne of grace,"You are My witnesses and these signs shall follow you..."
III-WILL OF GOD v.32-46
God’s Will will always stand and He will do it for His pleasure.He allowed the famine to happen. It is His will. It is God’s pleasure. Why? So that through His will He can promote Joseph and turn the famine into favor."For I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster,to give you a future and a hope"(Jer.29:11NLT).
God doesn’t think as man thinks.He gives more concern to the changing than the feeling of pain and suffering.
Joseph’s character has been molded in the furnace of affliction.
Thirteen years is the perfect time for him to perform the Will of God. Those years were now shadows of the glorious Godly traits in him.
Our afflictions, pains, problems and sufferings were but dusks that cannot be compared to the promises that awaits us.
As I CONCLUDE, the fact that we are dependent on God shows,the Wisdom from God in these perilous times would turn into our favor, being Witnesses of His revelations and discretions of performing His will in His most perfect time as Christlikeness would be evident in us...
Surely, it will happen for He is preparing you... He is preparing me to turn the tide of famine into God’s favor for us. The world would asks us for advises. For solutions. For profits. For restorations.
When that time comes? Our character would match the promotion.
We will bring back the glory to God.
Just like Joseph.
They will see that we alone could do it better for we are men who is obviously filled with the Spirit of God.
Make it happen to us,Lord Jesus!
