Gabe landed our series this week, as we looked at what was happening behind the scenes of Joseph’s story, that made God promote him through all his trials and troubles.
In Genesis 50:19 we see Joseph’s confidence, that despite what was happening on the surface that should have caused him fear and anxiety, he believed that the harm that his brothers intended for him, God had intended for good.
We need to stop being swayed by the headlines of what is happening above ground and start realising that it is what is going on underneath that determines our future, for the real battle is waged and won underground. No matter what trial or trauma we encounter in life, which we are told to expect, we must trust God that He will take care of us and is working His plan behind the scenes and in our character.
UNDERNEATH IS WHAT DETERMINES YOUR FUTURE
Instead of opting for something cheap, as a quick-fix solution, God wants us to go deep. All we need to do is look at the whole story of Joseph to hold onto the hope that even when things look bleak, we can have faith that God will work it for our good, and in His perfect timing.
3 things will anchor us when we start to feel swayed or shaken by life’s headlines:
- God is above it all
God is not in everything, but He created and sustains all things, He holds all things, He is above all things and He controls everything. Colossians 1:15 reminds us that He is superior and supreme of all creation. When life feels random or we are tempted to question what God is doing, we can draw hope from the assurance that God does indeed have the whole world in his hands. All we need to do is surrender our control to God and give Him authority by making Him Lord over our lives.
- God is with us through it all
God doesn’t send us into impossible situations or give us undoable tasks. He leads us to where His grace will sustain and empower us. God doesn’t leave us on our own, but He is always with us. We need to get the deep revelation of the promise held in Isaiah 43:2, that when you go through deep waters or rivers of difficulty, you will not drown and when you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up or be consumed, just like what happened physically to Moses and Daniel. Our faith needs to be based on theology and not on our feelings.
- God is working in it all
Don’t allow your circumstances to steal your joy or peace or make you question if God is still there or if He will answer your prayers. His purpose for you is not to make you happy, rich, famous or powerful. Romans 8:28 reminds us that the secret underneath and behind it all is to make us more like Jesus. With all our heartache and mistakes, God’s sole purpose is to use all things to conform and shape us to become more like His Son. Even when Joseph couldn’t see God working, he still trusted God in the dark, and we need to do the same.
We need to stop acting like Joseph’s brothers, by trying to rewrite the headlines of our stories, for God will always have the final word and it is finished!
It is time to ask whom we are bowing to and stop trying to live with one foot in the world and one foot with God. Are you going to believe the world’s headlines over your life, or are you going to trust that God is above it all, with you in it and working through it all? It is time to make Jesus your Lord, by kneeling, bowing and surrendering to His Lordship
KNEEL AND BOW TO JESUS AS LORD
Jesus is the greater Joseph, the foreshadowing and pattern of how we are to face life’s difficult circumstances; and that is with trust, surrender and worship.