Listening for God's Voice in My Circumstances

Genesis 37:2-4, 18-28

Genesis 37:2–4 (NLT)

2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

Genesis 37:18–28 (NLT)

18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.

19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said.

20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

21 But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said.

22 “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.

23 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing.

24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.

27 Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.

28 So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.

INTRODUCTION:

A- God speaks to us:

1- Through prayer

2- Through the Scriptures

3- Through the Conviction of the Holy Spirit

4- Through our circumstances

B- How can we be sure that we hear God’s voice in and through our circumstances?

1- Genesis 37-50 provides a good example of an individual who evidently found the secret to following God in the midst of his circumstances.

a- Joseph’s Story - god directed him and guided Joseph’s pathway through a string of negative circumstances that lasted YEARS!

Joseph was hated by his brothers.

He was sold into slavery to strangers by his own brothers.

He was a slave in Potiphar’s household and became a steward.

He was placed in prison following a false accusation by Potiphar’s wife.

He rose through the ranks to become the chief trustee in Egyptian prison.

He helped two of Pharaoh’s servants, only to be forgotten by them for a time.

He was elevated to Prime Minister of Egypt.

He was faced with seeing his brothers at a vulnerable time for them. He could have “gotten even.”

Through the whole process, he somehow kept his eyes upon God. (Genesis 45:1-8)

Genesis 45:1–8 (NLT)

1 Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was.

2 Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.

3 “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them.

4 “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt.

5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.

6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.

8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

2- God can speak to us in the midst of our circumstances and use those circumstances to direct our lives.

a- God gives us some general principles to remember that will help us hear his voice in our circumstances. (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Proverbs 3:5–7 (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

I- PLACE YOUR TRUST IN GOD. (Proverbs 3:5a)

Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

A- Joseph’s faith

He evidently found a way to trust in God through all of the negative circumstances.

1- He did not have the scriptures as you and I do, but still chose the right path in every situation.

2- His right choices were generally made with the odds stacked against him.

3- This was likely because of his trust in God.

4- He is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

B- Trust in the Lord - With all your heart.

1- The scriptures are full of calls for us to trust God.

(Psalm 62:8)

Psalm 62:8 (NLT)

8 O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Interlude

(Mark 11:22)

Mark 11:22 (NLT)

22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.

2- The scriptures are full of examples to inspire our trust in God.

a- David and Goliath

b- Elijah provided for by God

c- Hebrews 11 contains many examples

3- When we trust in the Lord we must:

make the decision to yield to His will.

II- SET ASIDE YOUR RELIANCE ON HUMAN WISDOM. (Proverbs 3:5b, 7a)

Proverbs 3:5b (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:7 (NLT)

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

A- Human wisdom did not help Joseph.

1- It was his trust in God and faithfulness to obey God.

a- When he was steward of Potiphar’s household, human wisdom and emotions might have led him to give in to Potiphar’s wife’s advances.

b- Joseph chose to follow God in spite of the circumstances.

B- Turn away from your own wisdom.

1- Avoid pride - “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.”

2- “Don’t depend on your own understanding”- שָׁעַן [shaʿan /shaw·an/] : to lean, lean upon, support oneself

3- There is a difference between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom.

(James 3:17)

James 3:17 (NLT)

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

(2 Corinthians 1:12)

2 Corinthians 1:12 (NLT)

12 We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.

III- KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON GOD AND LISTEN FOR HIS VOICE. (Proverbs 3:6, 7b)

Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)

6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:7 (NLT)

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

A- Joseph kept his focus upon God. (Genesis 45:5, 7-8)

Genesis 45:5 (NLT)

5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.

Genesis 45:7–8 (NLT)

7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.

8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

1- Notice, Joseph realized that God was the one in control of His circumstances.

2- God’s will was accomplishing what was best for everyone - including himself.

B- Hearing God and discerning his will requires that we are God-focused instead of self-focused.

1- Some questions to help you in your quest to stay God-focused :

How do I see God at work in my circumstances?

Are there biblical examples of someone in similar circumstances?

2- Some questions I need to ask God in the middle of the circumstances:

Lord, what are you up to in these circumstances?

Lord, what are you trying to teach me through my circumstances?

Lord, what do you desire to correct in my life?

Lord, who are you using me to affect in these circumstances?

3- When we stay God-focused, we can face our circumstances with the assurance Paul wrote about in Romans 8:35-39.

Romans 8:35–39 (NLT)

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

CONCLUSION: