Beyond Measure

Genesis 41: 41-57

For the past six months God has been telling me to wait; wait on his promises.  I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job, but I’ve wondered what I should be doing while I wait?  It feels like I should be doing something, but what exactly?

Reading today’s passage gave me an answer – preparing and storing up.  Just as Joseph used the seven years of abundance to prepare for the seven years of famine, so too should I be using this time to prepare for what’s to come.

So, I’ve been reading and storing up God’s Word.  I’ve been praying and talking and listening and waiting.  My hope is that, like Joseph, I’ll be prepared for whatever comes next.  I pray I’m ready and willing to take the steps I need to take now to ensure prosperity in the future; not only for myself, but for those around me.

I want to serve as a positive example of what waiting and preparing looks like.  I want to display faith that God will provide in the time he has designated.

Father, you know the plans you have for me.  Sometimes the waiting becomes uncomfortable, but may I use this time wisely and remain ever faithful in the knowledge that You never fail.  Let Your will be done in my life today and in the days to come.  Amen

The Dream Maker

The story of Joseph is a remarkable tale of youthful boasting and foolish bravado that didn’t end well. Sibling rivalry took over and things went bad in a big hurry. Jealous brothers schemed and conspired to do the unthinkable. Just reading this, I am appalled at the horrific behavior of the older brothers. But, it makes for an exciting story and all the more exciting because it is true life.

Fast forward a number of years and everything is different for this young braggart. He has matured into a responsible adult who is devoted to his God and has a relationship with Him which has kept him focused on what is right and good.

Joseph had a good reputation and because of the blessings God bestowed on him and the households he attended, he was trusted and respected.  His relationship with God afforded the young man the ability to read dreams. His faith in God ensured he would have what was needed when it was needed.

Genesis 41:15-16 (NIV)
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

We can operate in much the same manner when we are in a close relationship with God. When we share our day with God, telling him what is on our heart and ask for His help and guidance, He will respond as a loving and kind parent. It is this same love that will enable us to deliver far more than we are able--because God knows what we need before we ask.

Continue reading from this fascinating book this coming week. The intrigue and family dynamics which will come into play are amazing and they point the a wonderful All-Knowing, All-Loving, All Caring God who is always ready to rescue His children from their own foolish ways.

Genesis 41:39 (NIV)
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." 

Genesis 41

Those in whom God stirs

“In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.  Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.”  Genesis 41:8 

Out of the blue, a friend once asked me, “Did I ever tell you I was raised as a Muslim?”  I sat back and, after a taking a brief moment to absorb what he had just said, replied, “Why, no, you never did.”  He went on to explain, having attended a Catholic school in Nigeria, he admired many things about the faith and secretly wanted to be Christian.  Upon coming to America years later, he was unable to find a mosque in his city.  The Spirit again stirred in him and, after dreaming about Jesus one night, he gave his life to Christ. 

We love to hear stories of God working in and through the lives of those who have found life in Christ, but we forget he also goes to great lengths to get the attention of non believers, as well.  Think back on your own life and your own path to the cross.  What did God do in you and around you to get your attention?  How did the Spirit stir in you?  What set of circumstances “just happened” to come together to prove, whether or not you knew it at the time, that God was after your heart? 

God interacts with humankind, created in his image, in such a way that we would “seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).  He moves in and around non believers in a way only he can. 

And then he involves us in his redemptive work, calling us to step into the lives of those he is calling.  Our role is simply to do what he asks, be it serving, witnessing or sharing how they can find peace with God through Christ.  It’s not that hard. 

“You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.”  Augustine of Hippo, in “Confessions."

[Click here to see the daily reading in Genesis 41:1-13.]