D - Joseph Pt. 7
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5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Last week we spent some time learning about Joseph and we learned that Joseph was able to interpret the dreams of the king. We saw how when Joseph helped Pharoah know what his dream meant, Joseph gave God credit for the work He did through Joseph.
See, when Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream they all learned that for the next 7 years all of Egypt was going to produce so much food that they wouldn’t be able to calculate how much it was. But after 7 years of having so much food, the next 7 years no one, not even the countries around Egypt were going to produce any food.
So Pharoah made Joseph 2nd in command so that Joseph could help Egypt save food for the 7 years of famine that were coming. God blesses Joseph and not only does Pharoah put Joseph second in command, but Joseph was blessed by God with a wife and 2 children.
Now, for those of us that know what’s happening next, the author is setting the stage for what’s going to happen next. Essentially we can see how God has been preparing Joseph for this moment. He went through a lot of difficult things in his life and it makes me wonder, why does God allow His people to go through difficult things?
I want us to notice what happens here at the end of Chapter 41 and the beginning of chapter 42:
56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”
2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
So, who is Jacob? Joseph’s dad. And everyone in the world is struggling to have food except for Egypt. So when Jacob heard that Egypt has a lot of food, who does he send to get food for his family? He sends all of Joseph’s brothers.
So, it seems like everything Joseph has been through kind of comes full circle. What does that mean? Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he went to jail for things he never did, but because of all of that, Joseph was able to save all of Egypt and also be able to feed all of the other countries around him. Who does that include? That includes his family.
Do you think Joseph knew that this was God’s plan all along? Absolutely not. He might have figured it out now, but he was not thinking: God has a plan, when he was being sold into slavery. He wasn’t thinking God has plan when he was cleaning floors for an Egyptian. He wasn’t thinking: God has a plan while he was being thrown into jail for something he didn’t do.
And I think it works the same way for us, we go through difficult moments in our lives and during the difficult time we don’t think: God has a plan for me. We only see God’s plan at the end of the road when we’ve already been through difficult moment and when we are recovering from our hurt.
Can I encourage you by saying: God has a plan for you. God wants to use your life, and your experiences to help other people. I know that may be hard, but if we seek God He will reveal Himself to us.
Pray:
That God will give me strength in difficult moment.
That God will bless me with the tools to help people around me.
To thank God even in difficult times knowing that God can turn our awful circumstances into blessings.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
