Don’t Give Up, God Is Still Writing Your Story

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Introduction: The Liz Murray Story

Liz Murray was born in 1980 in the Bronx to parents struggling with poverty, drug addiction, and a variety of other health and mental health tragedies. Growing up in extreme neglect, she often went hungry, lived in unsafe conditions, and worked odd jobs as a child just to eat. Her family life was unstable, marked by separation, social services involvement, group homes, and frequent displacement. At age 15, after her mother died of AIDS and her father entered a homeless shelter, Murray became homeless.

Despite these circumstances, Murray resolved to finish her education. While homeless, she supported herself through door-to-door fundraising work, excelling to the point of breaking company sales records. She enrolled at Humanities Preparatory Academy, completed high school in just two years, graduated at the top of her class, and earned a scholarship from The New York Times. She was accepted to Harvard University in 2000, where her story drew national attention and public support.

Murray later transferred to Columbia University to care for her father and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2009. She went on to pursue graduate studies, become a motivational speaker, and co-found a youth mentoring organization. Her life story inspired the Emmy-nominated film Homeless to Harvard and her bestselling memoir Breaking Night, which received international acclaim. Through her work, Murray has become a powerful advocate for resilience, education, forgiveness, and hope, demonstrating that a traumatic beginning does not determine one’s future.

Isn’t it amazing that out of everything Liz endured, she survived it and became a voice to the world of how anyone can make it through a hard time.

Point: Brothers and sisters, out of everything you faced, your testimony is I made it! God preserved my life to declare His goodness.

Information: Jacob, Joseph, and Enduring A Famine Season

Well, this is the point of the text we just read. The text is clearly embedded in a story that focused on Joseph. He is the main character and has been for a significant amount of time. We have often assumed the text was about how God delivers a young boy who was harshly treated by his family. However, it is actually about salvation of a nation who had a promise upon them. Do you see it?

Genesis 42:1–2 “1 When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another? 2 I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we’ll die.””

Our text appears out of nowhere. For the last six chapters, Jacob had been virtually absent from the Genesis narrative except for a few minor references. However, it is at this point that he reappears, reminding us that though he had not played a dominant role in the ongoing narrative, he is still a major part of what God is doing in the story.

Jacob endured a very difficult life:

He is the one who endured a sibling rivalry with Esau in Genesis 25.

Because of this rivalry, he was forced into exile where he endured 14 years of exploitative servitude with his father-in-law, Laban (Genesis 29-31).

He wrestled with an angel where he endured a permanent injury (Genesis 32).

His daughter is violated and his sons take violent action that jeopardizes the family’s national security (Genesis 34).

He loses Rachel, the wife he loved and then his father, Isaac in Genesis 35.

He is told his son Joseph is dead in Genesis 37

And now, he’s facing a famine in Genesis 42.

Life has taken Jacob on a rollercoaster. However, these’s something we should know about Jacob—he has a promise from God.

Genesis 28:13–15 “13 At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.””

However, Jacob finds himself in a famine with a promise. He had returned back to the land that God had promised him and he is now facing a famine that jeopardizes his family’s existence.

What do you do when you are in a famine season? When you have a promise from God that He will never leave you, but you feel alone?

Point: When facing your famine season, remember God is still writing your story!

Jacob did not know that his story was still being written—that God was using the pages of his past to determine his destiny. He did not realize God was working behind the scenes to bring about his salvation through the son he thought was dead, Joseph.

God sent dreams to his son, Joseph about how he would be used for God’s purpose in Genesis 37.

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers.

Taken to Egypt (Genesis 37)

Slave in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39)

Falsely accused in Potiphar’s House and thrown in prison (Genesis 39)

Imprisoned (Genesis 39-40)

Released from prison and elevated as prime minister/ governor to save his family from the famine (Genesis 41-50).

Genesis 50:19–20 “19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

Point: Be careful you don’t give up in chapter 37 when God has victory planned in chapter 41.

God had deliverance and salvation planned for Jacob and his family among the messy and terrible events of his life.

Revelation: The Coming of Jesus and the Story of Israel

This is not a feel good message. It is a message that demonstrates how the coming of Jesus is God’s way of reminding us our story was not finished.

Brothers and sisters, just as God was committed to Israel’s life in Genesis 42, He is just as committed to their life in Matthew 1—only this time it was not a famine that stood in their way. It was their sin that stood in their way.

Israel had countless events that jeopardized the coming of the Messiah:

Genesis 32- They created a golden calf and worshipped it as God.

Numbers 13-14- They refused to enter the promised land.

Judges 1-21- They continued in cycles of idolatry, requiring deliverance through various judges.

1 Samuel 8- They demanded a human king to replace God as their king.

1 Samuel 13-15- Saul fails as a king.

2 Samuel 11-12- David fails as a king and jeopardizes the kingdom.

1 Kings 11- Solomon worshipped foreign Gods and the kingdom is destined for division—northern and southern kingdom.

2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 25- Judah rejects the prophets.

2 Kings 25; Lamentations 1- Judah loses the land and their temple through the Babylonian exile.

But, in Matthew 1:18, Jesus is born! Two comes from Jesus’s arrival:

Israel’s sins are forgiven.

God returns to His people.

The birth of Jesus was God’s message to Israel, that their story is not finished and God had not forgotten His promises to them.

Inspiration: God Is Not Finished With Your Story, Just Keep On Writing

I don’t know where you are in your story. However, just know it’s not over until it’s good!

Conclusion: Our story never ends unfavorably because God is with us.