365 Blessings- April 8

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." (Genesis 37:5-7)

This dream given by God to Joseph took more than 20 years to be fulfilled. Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and then sold him to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's (King of Egypt) officials in whose house Joseph worked till he was thrown into prison by Potiphar whose wife had wrongly accused him of trying to forcibly lie with her. He spent two years in prison for no fault of his. Through a strange turn of events, all perfectly planned by God, Joseph was called in from prison to explain the dreams that Pharaoh saw; dreams which no one else could explain.

Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole of Egypt to manage the crisis of famine that was to come upon the land after a season of abundance. As prophesied by Joseph famine struck the land and even Canaan was afflicted. So Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to get food for his family. That's how Jacob's sons who had tried to destroy Joseph's future by selling him as a slave now found themselves in Joseph's presence.

The Bible says,
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all it’s people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. (Genesis 42:6)

...they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground...fulfilling what Joseph had dreamt several years before.....my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.....

Perhaps a dream that God gave you several years back has not still been fulfilled. Take courage from Joseph's story. The dream will find fulfillment in God's time. The Holy Spirit is working on it, even now.

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But now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." (Isaiah 43:1)

"You are mine!" That's what God told his chosen people, the Israelites.
This day Jesus says the same to you. He created you, formed you, redeemed you and summoned you. You are his treasured possession. Do you believe that?

As always, his comforting words are for you and your loved ones. He says, "Fear Not".
Of course, the problems in life are real, but so are the promises of God. Hold on to the promises in the Word of God. They will strengthen you in times of trouble.

The Psalmist sang,
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1, 2)

Remember, Jesus is your fortress, so you will never be shaken. Your salvation and your honor depend on God ; he is your mighty rock, your refuge. Trust in him at all times. He will deliver you from the troubles that you are going through these days. He will make you sings songs of victory very soon. Praise the Lord.

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And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." (Exodus 3:12)

This promise was God's answer to Moses' question:"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"
Moses was apprehensive and did not consider himself eligible for the job God was calling him to do. He was no longer in any authoritative position; just living an ordinary life. Gone were the days when he weilded power as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Pharaoh was not on good terms with him anymore and Moses was fearful. He considered himself insignificant to do great exploits as God desired.

But God gave him a promise and a sign to go along with it. God promised," I will be with you" and also said, "when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."

God is always certain of what he can do through us though we may think we are not up to the task at hand. That's because we look at the present and have not much idea of what is there in the future. But God knows the future and is certain that he can work in us to make the impossible happen because he is the one who is leading and guiding us.

What God promised, he fulfilled in the life of Moses and truly, the Israelites worshipped God at Mount Horeb later on.

Are you in two minds regarding the call that God has upon your life? Please do not look back. This day, the Lord says to you,
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)

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He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. (Proverbs 21:21)

A proverb that came true in the life of Joseph, son of Jacob. He was a man who pursued righteousness. In distress, he did not accuse God, but waited for his deliverance. When pursued by sinful temptations, he chose to run away from it as is evident in the following verses.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, (Genesis 39:6-13)

Joseph could have lived in sin, but he chose not to give into the temptation. For pursuing righteousness, he landed in prison for 2 years because Potiphar's wife falsely accused him. It was not only righteousness that he pursued; he also pursued love, in that he forgave his brothers who had thrown him mercilessly into a pit and later sold him as a slave. God's watchful eyes were on him at all times and when God exalted him, the rewards were what we read in the title verse....life, prosperity and honor.

May it be so in our lives too. God bless.

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But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Psalms 33:11)

No one can thwart the plans of God. He is Almighty. From the beginning, he weilds all power and everything, living and nonliving are subject to him. The Psalmist exhorts all in this manner:
Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. (Psalm 33:8, 9)

The Apostle Paul writing to the Colossians says this regarding Jesus,
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

Jesus said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you must always remember that you serve an Almighty God. All authority in heaven and on earth is with Jesus. Even though circumstances in your life say otherwise, he can change everthing in a moment. He can change rules for you. He can make unyielding officials yielding. He can change governments for your sake. You are precious to him. If your plans are his original plans, he will make a way. It's only a matter of time. Hang in there. Keep praying. God bless.