There is a little church in Galena, Kansas, where it is customary for people celebrating birthdays to come to the front of the sanctuary. There, they give a special offering while the congregation sings “Happy Birthday.”
On the other hand, if you’re a little shy, you can give your offering to an usher who takes it forward as an anonymous offering. One Sunday, an usher came forward and proclaimed, “I have here an ominous birthday offering.”
A grey-haired man spoke up, “Aren't they all?” (Anita Heistand, Galena, Kansas, “Lite Fare,” Christian Reader; www.PreachingToday.com)
Sometimes the future seems ominous. That was certainly true ten years ago today when two planes flew into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and one crash landed in Pennsylvania on its way to the White House or the Capital building in Washington D.C.
Today, besides the uncertainty of another potential terrorist attack, people face other kinds of uncertainty. It may be financial uncertainty or just the uncertainty of growing older.
Daniel Gilbert (a psychologist at Harvard), citing a recent Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, said “that Americans are smiling less and worrying more than they were a year ago, that happiness is down and sadness is up, that we are getting less sleep and smoking more cigarettes, that depression is on the rise.”
The real problem is not financial, he said. It’s not that people don’t have enough money. It’s that people don’t know what’s going to happen. Will I have a job next week? What's ahead in the future for me?
The future seems ominous, or at the very least uncertain, and that uncertainty puts people on edge. Professor Gilbert referred to a Dutch experiment where researchers told one group of people that they would receive 20 strong shocks. The researchers then told a second group that they would receive only three strong shocks along with 17 mild ones, but they wouldn't know when the strong shocks would come. The results? Subjects in the second group sweated more and experienced faster heart rates. It was the uncertainty that caused their discomfort, not the intensity of the shocks.
Another study showed that colostomy patients who knew that their colostomies would be permanent were happier six months after their procedures than those who were told there might be a chance of reversing their colostomies. Once again, uncertainty caused the unhappiness.
Daniel Gilbert concluded, “An uncertain future leaves us stranded in an unhappy present with nothing to do but wait… Our national gloom is real enough, but it isn't a matter of insufficient funds. It's a matter of insufficient certainty.” (Daniel Gilbert, “What You Don't Know Makes You Nervous,” The Week magazine, 6-5-09, p. 14; www.PreachingToday.com)
So what do we do in these uncertain times? What do we do when the future seems ominous, and we really don’t know what’s going to happen?
Well, there are some things we can learn from the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. He had a bright future, when all of a sudden life took a turn for the worse and he was sold into slavery. Then he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. To say the least, he was living in uncertain times. His future seemed ominous, but his faith remained strong.
What did he do, and what can we do to remain strong in uncertain times?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 40, Genesis 40, where Joseph has been in prison for some time.
Genesis 40:1-3 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. (NIV)
Now, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker were two very important officials in Pharaoh’s cabinet. The chief cupbearer usually became a trusted advisor and friend to the king, because the king trusted him with his life. You see, it was the chief cupbearer’s job to make sure there was no poison in the king’s food or drink, so he would taste it first before he gave it to the king, risking his own life for the king each time he sat down to eat. As a result, the king and his chief cupbearer became close friends. And the chief baker provided most of the king’s food, so he too was an important, trusted official.
Well, it just so happens that they end up in the same prison as Joseph. Do you think so? Do you think it “just happened”? No! GOD put them there, because GOD had a plan for Joseph that involved Pharaoh. Now watch as God works His plan.
Genesis 40:4-8 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them… (NIV)
“Oh, forget your dreams. They’re no good. In fact, I had a dream once and look where it got me – right here in prison with a bunch of losers like you.” Is that what Joseph told them. No! Look at verse 8 again.
Genesis 40:8 Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” (NIV)
Joseph still believed that God-given dreams were important. Joseph still believed that God gives dreams and that God will work to fulfill those dreams no matter what happens in life. Joseph never stopped believing God even in prison, and that’s what we must do in our “prison” experiences as well. When life seems uncertain…
BE CERTAIN THAT GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL.
Believe that God has a plan and He is working that plan for our good and His glory. Remember that God has not forgotten the dream he gave us and He is working to fulfill that dream in ways we can’t even imagine.
We cannot give up our faith in God. Otherwise, we become bitter, angry people of no use to anyone. Look at Joseph in prison. He is serving his fellow prisoners (vs.4), and He is concerned about them when they are sad (vs.7). His compassion comes from his confidence in God, and our faith will do the same for us.
In his book, Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias talks about a trip to India where he noticed a father and son weaving some of the most beautiful Indian wedding saris in the world. The sari is a garment worn by Indian women, usually about six yards long, and wedding saris are a work of art. They are rich in gold and silver threads, resplendent with an array of colors.
Zacharias says, “The place I was visiting was known for making the best wedding saris in the world. I expected to see some elaborate system of machines and designs that would boggle the mind. Not so! Each sari was being made individually by a father-and-son team. The father sat above on a platform two to three feet higher than the son, surrounded by several spools of thread, some dark, some shining.
“The son did just one thing. At a nod, from his father, he would move the shuttle from one side to the other and back again. The father would gather some threads in his fingers, nod once more, and the son would move the shuttle again. This would be repeated for hundreds of hours, till you would begin to see a magnificent pattern emerging.
“The son had the easy task – just to move at the father's nod. All along, the father had the design in mind and brought the threads together.”
Ravi Zacharias says, “The more I reflect on my own life and study the lives of others, I am fascinated to see the design God has for each one of us… if we would only respond to him.” (Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods, Zondervan, 2000, pp. 17-18; www.Preaching Today.com)
We don’t always see what our Heavenly Father is doing, do we? And we certainly don’t know how the dark threads of our lives go together with those shiny threads. But if we continue to trust Him, if we continue to respond to Him, then one day that beautiful pattern He is creating will be revealed and we will marvel at His work in our lives.
So whatever you do, when life seems uncertain, don’t lose your dream in the darkness. Don’t stop believing God. Don’t stop trusting God to keep His promises to you and to fulfill the dreams He has given you.
I say it again: Don’t lose your dream in the darkness. Keep on responding to God’s guidance even if he throws in a few dark threads. Love those God wants you to love. And in His strength, keep on doing what God wants you to do until the day you see your life come together in one beautiful design.
Dear friends, when life seems uncertain, be certain that God is still in control. More than that, in the uncertainties of life…
BE CERTAIN THAT GOD STILL CARES.
When you feel forgotten, be assured that God has not forgotten you. Just know that God remembers you even when nobody else does.
That’s what happened to Joseph. People he helped forgot him, but God never did. He says to Pharaoh’s officials, “Tell me your dream.”
Genesis 40:9-15 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” (NIV)
Joseph interprets the chief cupbearer’s dream asking only one thing in return – “mention me to Pharaoh.”
Genesis 40:16-19 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh.” (NIV)
I’m sure that’s not what he wanted to hear, but things happened just as Joseph said.
Genesis 40:20-22 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand, but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. (NIV)
God did exactly what He told them he would do: both of their heads were lifted up. The chief cupbearer’s head was lifted up in a figurative sense: he was elevated to his former position. And the chief baker’s head was lifted up in the literal sense: it was put in a hangman’s noose. God kept His word!
Genesis 40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. (NIV)
The chief cupbearer did not keep his word. Joseph had asked him, “Show me kindness” (vs.14). Literally, be loyal to me, but the chief cupbearer forgot all about Joseph.
And that kind of thing happens to us, as well. People make promises and forget them. Oh, it’s usually not out of any malicious intent. It’s just that when we get out of sight, we’re out of mind. People forget us; but dear friends, we can be certain that God never does.
Years ago, Radio Bible Class’s daily devotional, called Our Daily Bread, told the story of an elderly believer who lay dying in much distress. “Oh pastor,” he said, “for years I have relied upon the promises of God, but now in the hour of death, I cannot remember a single one to comfort me.”
The pastor replied, “My brother, do you think that God will forget any of His promises?”
A smile came over the elderly man’s face as he joyfully proclaimed, “No, no! He won’t! Praise the Lord! Now, I can fall asleep in Jesus and trust Him to remember them all and bring me safely to heaven.”
He was at peace; and soon, he was with the Lord. (Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, #2004)
Dear friends, you too can experience peace if you remember that God never forgets. Others may forget you, but He never will.
So when you face an uncertain future, be certain that God is in control and that He cares for you; be certain that He will not forget the dream He has for you, nor will He forget you.
Keith Hartsell of Wheaton, Illinois, was driving around with a friend of his in California, when he noticed that his friend’s cell phone was locked with an unusual password – pro nobis. Keith asked him what pro nobis meant and why he chose that for a password. Keith’s friend told him it was Latin and it meant “For Us,” and then he suddenly started choking up. Keith thought, “Why would those two Latin words cause so much emotion?”
Then his friend composed himself and explained that after walking through deep personal pain, true healing came when he learned that God is “for us” – or the Latin phrase pro nobis. Keith’s friend said that after his parents' divorce, he entered a season when he assumed that God didn't care or that God had given up on him. But he finally found hope through those two simple words – pro nobis (for us). You see, when he decided to believe that God was pro nobis, that God had even sent Christ to die for him, he could then decide to lay down his life for others. (Keith Hartsell, Wheaton, Illinois; www.PreachingToday.com)
Romans 8 puts it this way: “What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)
Dear friends, when life is uncertain, don’t ever forget it: God is pro nobis. God is for us. It’s the only thing that will keep you afloat on a sea of uncertainty.
A little brown cork
Fell in the path of a whale,
Who lashed it down
With his angry tail;
But in spite of its blows,
It quickly arose
And floated serenely
Before his nose.
Said the cork to the whale:
“You may flap and sputter and frown,
But you never, never, can keep me down;
For I’m made of the stuff
That is buoyant enough
To float instead of to drown. –Pameli
(Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, #4131)
The “stuff” that keeps us afloat is our faith in Christ; so keep trusting Him, and don’t forget: God will never forget you.
