GOD WORKS THRU OUR DARK PLACES
Genesis 37:1-11
1. And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2. .These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his fathers wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
3. Now Isreal loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the child of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.
4. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
5. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6. And he said unto them, hear I pray this dream which I have dreamed.
7. For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo my sheave arose, and also stood upright; behold your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheave.
8. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
9. And he dreamed yet another dream, and he told it his brethren, and said, Behold I have dreamed a dream more; behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou has dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thou brethren indeed come to bow ourselves down ourselves to thee to the earth.
11. And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
Genesis 37: 18 -28
18. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19. And they said one to another, behold, this dreamer cometh.
20. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
21. And Rueben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, let us not kill him.
22. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
23. And when it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him.
24. And they took him and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
25. And they set down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balmand myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26. And Judah said unto his brethren, what profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood.
27 .Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
28. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
Has anyone here ever had a dark place in their walk with the Lord?
A dark place would be something you don’t understand why something happened.
What we need to know is we might not understand, but God does.
When we walk thru these places we need to know God is there.
You might not see Him because of the darkness you’re in, but He is right there in your situation.
He never left you nor forsook you.
In 1 Samuel, 30: 1-6 When David and his men were away from Ziglag, The Amalekites had invaded there land.
They took every thing from the city, including wives, and children. Then they burned the city.
When David returned to the city and found out every thing was gone, he and the men wept bitterly.
David is now greatly distressed; now on top of all of this his men are speaking of stoning him. They are blaming David for what has happened.
During all of this, David had to encourage himself in the Lord.
David didn’t know if his family was even still alive, his men are speaking of stoning him, thru it all David encouraged himself in the Lord God.
David was in a dark place in his walk, a place where he did not understand why he was there.
When we go thru dark places we usually think it is because of sin, but sometimes we go thru dark places in our lives because it is God’s plan for us.
In the opening scripture Joseph is 17 years old, he might have been a little arrogant, and we know he was his father’s favorite son.
He even made Joseph a coat made of many colors, but even Joseph the dreamer wasn’t
exempt from going thru places he didn’t understand, DARK PLACES IN HIS LIFE!
His brothers were already jealous of him when he told them the dreams God had given him, but now it’s worse.
God speaks and disaster within Joseph’s life is about to unfold.
Jacob tells Joseph to go to his brothers, when he gets there, his brothers throw him into a pit.
You talk about a dark situation, God speaks two dreams to him and he’s thrown into a pit.
All he’s doing when he’s thrown into the pit is being obedient to his father.
He’s relaying a message.
Joseph is now in the darkest place of his young life, I’m sure he felt hopeless and afraid.
DREAM 8-17-2004 TUESDAY MORNING
I dreamed I was in the dark. I had a feeling of hopelessness, I was afraid. All of a sudden I felt the presence of God. As He came upon me, I started to shout “Jesus” over and over. All of a sudden, I didn’t feel hopeless and afraid, I wasn’t afraid to be in the dark. I knew that no matter what, God was with me. I woke up and the presence of God was all around the room.
INTERBRETATION
Sometimes we’re in the dark; we don’t know what is going to happen.
Remember God hides behind the thick clouds according to Exodus 19:9-10, some translations say dark cloud.
Sometimes I feel hopeless and afraid, when I feel this way, God wants me to know He’s right their in my situation. .He will never leave me nor forsake me.
He wants me to know I don’t have to worry.
No matter what you’re going thru today, His presence is there... He wants to take your worry away. He will go thru your dark place with you.
My faith increased when I realized He was their, and I cried out more.
Joseph, when he was in the pit, might have felt like Job in JOB 23:8-10.
8. Behold I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him
:9. On the left hand, where he doeth work, but I cannot behold him: He hideth himself on the right hand, thaHe might have felt he couldn’t find God in all of this, He might have heard his brothers talking about killing him and his dreams.
If their was a time he needed God it was now.
David understood what it was like to go thru the valley of the shadow of death.
That’s what death is , its a shadow of what is to come.
Joseph in the pit was probably thinking it’s over.
PSALM40:1-5
1. I waited patiently for the Lord: And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
4. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou has done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
Joseph knew God had a plan for his life, I believe he waited patiently for the Lord.
Sometimes God moves in ways we don’t understand, we’re in the dark (NOT UNDERSTANDING)
God will unfold the plan.
He was now sold into Egyptian slavery; we know he rose up to second in command to Pharaoh.
Joseph saved the land in the time of famine.
His two dreams from God did come to pass; his brothers did bow to him.
GENESIS 45:3-8
3. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
4. And Joseph said unto his brethren, come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life.
6. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet their is five years in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8. So now it was not you that hath sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to pharoh, and Lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
God took a bad situation and made it a good one.
Joseph walked thru many dark places in his life, but God was always there for him.
He was stripped of his life as he knew it, but he had a Friend that stuck closer than a brother by his side.
This morning if you going thru a dark place in your life, maybe you feel afraid and hopeless, maybe
you don’t understand why or how.
Look at Joseph this morning; look at what God did with him.
CLOSING
ROMANS 8:28
28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
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