God Always Has a Plan

Follow God’s Plan

Now we are back to studying Joseph. There are two more messages on his life and what we can learn from his life of obedience to God’s commands no matter how hard or confusing the circumstances were around him. There is so much that we can learn from his personality and his behavior during crisis situations. Pretty much his life from the age of 17 to 30 was nothing but crisis.

As soon as he was out of one issue another one came up right away. I think some of us might be able to relate to this feeling. Right? There are times when we are just feeling like we are in a dessert and no one is around us and no one cares. We can be confused, distracted, and even depressed.

But the good news is God never leaves your side. That is why the Bible is such a great rewarder of wisdom to those who take the time to study it. If you want wisdom, and you want to follow God’s plan for your life, you must be in prayer, and in His Word. It is the only way…

[Jas 1:2-6 NLT] 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

There is a formula for faith:

1) Read God’s word

2) Pray to your heavenly Father

3) Praise God each day you have breath in your lungs.

4) Trust God

What we know of Joseph is that he has 11 other brothers. They all hated him except for his youngest brother Benjamin who has the same mother as Joseph. Rachel only had the two boys Joseph and Benjamin, and while giving birth to Benjamin she died.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his older brothers and they all told their father Jacob that he was killed by a wild animal. He is sold to Potiphar the Captain of the Guard to Pharaoh. He learns from his time in Potiphar’s house to be an administrator and Potiphar eventually makes him in charge of his whole house because everything he touches is blessed and great things happen.

Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of a crime punishable to immediate death. But Potiphar does not kill him and puts him in the prison he is in charge of. He is noticed by the prison warden and given charge of the whole prison. Then he interprets the dreams for Pharaoh’s baker and butler. His interpretations come true… but the butler who is put back in Pharaoh’s court to serve him forgets about Joseph. It is a few years before that have passed. Joseph must be confused again… wondering why God? I thought the wine taster would remember me and talk about me to Pharaoh. But what we learn from Joseph here is to trust God’s plan. We may not understand it… but trust. I feel as if he knew the prophet’s words in his heart… Turn to Jeremiah 29.

[Jeremiah 29:11 NLT] 11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

God’s timing in always perfect.

Think about it…If the wine taster had brought up how his dreams were interpreted by a Hebrew prisoner to Pharaoh before he had any need for him with his own dreams… Pharaoh had no need for a dream interpreter. And the Egyptians did not like the Hebrews. They were the lowest of the low.

Now after a few years… Pharaoh has his dreams… now we are seeing how God put him in the right place at the right time. That is how God did this with all of Joseph’s life.

What we can learn from at this point is that Joseph never gave up on God. We need to be like that. Trust that God’s timing is perfect. So, don’t let the circumstances around you change you. That is the distraction. When you pray and read, and praise God you are able to overcome these circumstances. And the beauty that we often miss is how this impacts people around us. When we are obedient and show our joy, we pay it forward to those around us.

Joseph loved all people, and he loved God. He used all his surroundings to better himself. To learn from them. His attitude was not “God why me?” But more like “Ok God…. Show me what I need to learn here to be stronger!”

That is the attitude we need to have in each day. By our obedience we can be blessed by God with the right attitude. If we avoid letting things frustrate us and give God glory for all circumstances, we grow stronger and are preparing for bigger things in our obedience to God.

[1Th 5:16-18 NLT] 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Malcolm Baxter an author wrote a book “Simon Peter the Making of a Man of Faith” I like how he explains how to live our lives each day.

“What can I do to promote what heaven is like, here on earth?” The operation of love, for instance, is vital, so also is the prayer of faith, fellowship with those who love and serve our Lord and the demonstration of the fruits of the Spirit.” Page 125

Timing is everything and now the time is perfect. Pharaoh has his dreams and the wine taster remembers Joseph. The butler says “Pharaoh… hey there is this guy I met in prison that interpreted our dreams and they came true as he said they would. You should call him to your court to interpret your dreams too”.

Joseph is now brought before Pharaoh. God has groomed him to be perfect for this moment. Let’s read how this makes a difference in front of Pharaoh…

[Gen 41:15-16 NLT] 15 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it." 16 "It is beyond my power to do this," Joseph replied. "But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease."

Joseph’s response is awesome! It shows that Joseph is not afraid of anything. He is in front of the most powerful man in that area. Pharaoh thinks he is god… but Joseph tells it like it is… “It is not me, God will give to Pharaoh the answer of peace” … Joseph is telling Pharaoh that he is a vessel for God, and God can answer your dreams. At this point Pharaoh could either thumbs up or down… this Hebrew talking to me like that… But Pharaoh wanting his dreams interpreted held back destroying Joseph because God’s plan is being revealed and no power on earth can stop that.

[Gen 41:17-24 NLT] 17 So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. "In my dream," he said, "I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, 18 and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 19 But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I've never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt. 20 These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows. 21 But afterward you wouldn't have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up. 22 "Then I fell asleep again, and I had another dream. This time I saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. 23 Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind. 24 And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean."

The Answer

Now Joseph does what no other man has been able to do in Pharaoh’s court. The power of God flows through him and he reveals the dreams.

[Gen 41:25-26 NLT] 25 Joseph responded, "Both of Pharaoh's dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. 26 The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity.

[Gen 41:29-32 NLT] 29 The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. 30 But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. 31 This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased. 32 As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.

Joseph – Wisdom from Experience / Gives Advice to Pharaoh

[Gen 41:33-36 NLT] 33 "Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. 34 Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. 35 Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh's storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. 36 That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land."

Two things to notice.

First Joseph is in a job interview and he is not mincing words. He is very direct to Pharaoh and even tells him what to do. Pharaoh is not used to people telling him what do to. Read again: 41:33… “Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” God is blessing Joseph to pay it forward again as in Potiphar’s house, and in the prison. What other discerning and wise man could there possibly be?

Second Joseph knew that Pharaoh received 10% tax on everything grown in his kingdom for the benefit of the throne. But now Joseph says you have to increase the taxes on your people. During the good years they won’t notice it because they will have so much. There will be plenty. So, he doubles the taxes. 1/5 or 20% of the income from everyone instead of ten. But, not just to make the Pharaoh richer…. But reserve for the years of famine that would follow the years of plenty.

Notice that Joseph delivers the problem as in a business case. Here is the problem. Now, I also have a recommendation. This from his training all these years from 17 to 30.

Pharaoh ain’t no dummy! He realizes how this Hebrew slave that stands before him is not just any ordinary man. Look at Genesis 41:39 and let’s start there to Pharaoh’s reaction…

[Gen 41:39-41 NLT] 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours." 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt."

Wow! Pharaoh even uses the words that Joseph told him.

"Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are.”

Now, Joseph is the second most powerful man in the world! He was blessed because he never stopped believing, and trusting in the power of God almighty. Now he receives more than he could have ever have imagined.

It All Comes Together

So, Joseph is now using all the skills that he has matured by being obedient to God, and it benefits him to be the second in command of the known world. He starts collecting the grain from the Egyptians in preparation for the famine about to come.

[Gen 41:49 NLT] 49 He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure.

Now the famine comes and the people of Egypt go to Pharaoh and start to ask for food. And not only was it in Egypt in the known world.

[Gen 41:53-57 NLT] 53 At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food. 55 Eventually, however, the famine spread throughout the land of Egypt as well. And when the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told them, "Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you." 56 So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 57 And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.

Because of the obedience Joseph showed to God he prepared not only his household but the whole of Egypt was now prepared for the long 7-year famine that was coming to them. Imagine what impact this famine would have had on the people of that time if Joseph was not obedient to God.

Next week we will finish the story of Joseph. But, lets finish with the plot that is given in Genesis 42.

[Genesis 42:1-2 NKJV] 1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" 2 And he said, "Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die."

There is so much we can apply of Joseph’s life to ours. But the best thing he shows us is patience. Trust God. Even better today we are now filled with the Holy Spirit. Our ability to plug into God is now easier than ever. The only obstacle is yourself. Joseph did not let the circumstances define him. We should not let them define us.

[Tit 3:4-6 NLT] 4 But--"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

So what is the answer to the problems of the world today? The love of Jesus Christ that He shed His blood on the cross for each and every person of the world. So we can choose to not be distracted and separated further from God, but have the ability to pray, read, praise, and trust in His word. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave is in you. The power to have no fear, to stand before any one before you and realize that no one is bigger than our God! Joseph got this. You have all he had, and even more with the Holy Spirit in the new covenant in Jesus Christ! Receive the blessing that waits for you, then pay it forward.

So, now we are set to finish the story of Joseph next week. He has all the grain. His brothers are out of grain for their families, and dad says go to Egypt! Buy the grain and bring it home so we can live. If you want to continue reading the story for the final teaching on Joseph read Genesis 42 – 50. Next week we learn about the power of forgiveness. What a mighty power it is.

Let’s pray.