Faithful But Forgotten

All right, church. Well, thank you for being here and worship with us this morning.

We are continuing on in our series, Meant for Good, Principles from the Life of Joseph.

So if you would take the Word of God with me and go to Genesis chapter 40. While you're

Genesis 40 · chapter mention

turning to Genesis 40, I want to give you a couple reminders. Our series text is found

10 chapters later in verse 20, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to save

many people. And let me tell you, that has been God's modus operandi, his MO, his standard operating

procedure throughout all of his dealings with mankind. His Satan and evil and the powers of

darkness meant it for evil, but God's will, God's sovereignty, God's power triumphs and wins the

day. And he always uses it to save many people. So we see that played out in the life of Joseph.

So a couple of weeks ago, we looked at Joseph back in Genesis 37, favored but fallen, favored

but fallen. And our takeaway was that pride and envy are early warning signs in the, in the story of

Joseph. But the start of his story that we see revealed to us in the book of Genesis points us

to Jesus. Joseph is a type of Christ, an Old Testament figure that is not Jesus. He is not God,

but certain things about him and the way he lives out his life in his faith point us forward to the

coming of Jesus himself. So all throughout the Old Testament, we see these and Joseph is a prime

example of it. Last Sunday, we talked about Joseph tempted and tried back in chapter 39.

Joseph tempted and tried with Potiphar's wife and we see him thrown into prison then, unjustly accused.

And the trials that God allows us to endure are always designed to draw us into closer relationship

with him. God doesn't allow us to go through storms and difficulty on this earth just because he's mean,

just because you've got it coming. God has a design for every problem, every trial he allows you to

experience in your life. And it is always to draw us into a closer relationship with him. And we see

that played out in the life of Joseph. So now this week, we're going to look at Joseph faithful,

but forgotten. Faithful, but forgotten. Let's look at Genesis chapter 40 and verse 1. Genesis chapter 40

Genesis 40 · chapter mention Genesis 40 · chapter mention

and verse 1. I'm reading from the Christian Standard Bible. After this, the king of Egypt's cupbearer and

baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. So the scene shifts. We've been following Joseph

from his early days as the favorite son of his mom and dad. Certainly didn't have a great relationship

with his brothers. All these trials start to, he has to endure. He's sold into slavery, lands in the house

of the chief of the guard, of Pharaoh's guard. And of course, he's tried to be seduced by his boss's wife,

resists temptation, and then is unjustly accused, thrown into prison. So we've been following Joseph's

trajectory. And now the scene shifts to Pharaoh's court. Pharaoh's trusted cupbearer and baker.

The cupbearer was like his personal butler, the one who would taste of his cup before Pharaoh

would drink from it to make sure it wasn't poisoned. So it had to be a very trusted official

who would be allowed this position of absolute trust.

And something happened with the cupbearer and the baker. Of course, the baker had to be an incredibly

trusted position. He was in charge of baking Pharaoh's bread, literally the food he would eat.

So these two guys, trusted members of Pharaoh's court, had offended their master. And Pharaoh was angry

with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. And he put them in the custody

in the house of the captain of the guards. We don't know what happened here. We don't know why they

offended Pharaoh. What happened? Was there politics involved? We don't know the backstory. But somehow,

these guys crossed the line and Pharaoh threw them into prison. But it wasn't just in any prison.

Who did it say it was? The prison in the house of the captain of the guards. Do we remember who the

captain of the guards was? Anybody? A little louder? Yes, I knew it. I saw a couple of you mouthing it.

Potiphar. Boy, God is always working behind the scenes, isn't he? He's always got a plan going here. So he

throws these two guys, key important members of his court, into the same prison that Joseph is in.

And what did Potiphar do with Pharaoh's two VIP prisoners here? What does it say? Verse 4,

the captain of the guards assigned them to Joseph as their personal attendant. And they were in custody

for some time. So isn't that interesting? That even though Potiphar was questioning if Joseph had

betrayed him with his own wife, and yet we have enough reason to believe that maybe he doubted

his wife's report of what had happened in that house. And he doubted them enough and had enough faith

in how well Joseph had served him to say, listen, warden, I want you to put these two VIP prisoners

coming from Pharaoh into the care of Joseph, one of your prisoners. Because I believe that they will be

untouched in Joseph's care. I believe they will get through this time in prison just fine while Pharaoh

figures out what to do with them. So verse 5, the king of Egypt's cupbearer and baker who were confined

in the prison, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night. And each dream had its own meaning.

Verse 6, when Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they looked distraught. These guys were upset.

They had not slept well. They'd had these restless, fitful dreams that came from God himself.

So he asked, Joseph asked Pharaoh's officers who were in custody with him in his master's house,

why do you look so sad today? Well, maybe because they didn't sleep well. Maybe because they were in

prison. I don't know. Can't imagine there was a lot of joy in these guys' lives at this season

while they're behind bars. But they tell him, verse 8, we had dreams, they said to him,

but there's no one to interpret them. Then Joseph said to them, watch this,

don't interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams. Wow. Prison changed Joseph.

Do you remember some other dreams in the story of Joseph that we have covered already?

What happened? Did Joseph dream his own dreams? And then he went and told them to his family?

But there's no record of him having any kind of interpretation from God for those dreams back

then. His father even made some kind of attempt at discerning the meaning of Joseph's dreams.

Of course, couldn't understand what they were about. So Joseph went from this 17-year-old boy,

the favorite of his father's house, who's dreaming these dreams from God and doesn't know how to

interpret them, to now being, just a few years later seemingly, in prison with two key members of

Pharaoh's court telling him their dreams. And immediately his response is, let's go to God for this.

I believe that God has the interpretation of these dreams. Tell me your dreams and I'll take them to God for you.

Prison had changed Joseph. These experiences, captivity had changed Joseph. These

really difficult struggles that Joseph had had to endure had matured him and his faith in God,

his relationship with God, to the point where now he was certain that God would bless him with what was

needed for that moment. So he was in tune with the Holy Spirit of God. He was locked in.

And God must have impressed on his heart in that moment, Joseph,

I will interpret these dreams. Ask for the dreams. So what happened?

Chapter 37, he couldn't interpret his own dreams. But now God has grown his faith through suffering and

is using him to interpret the dreams of others. And what do we see from him? Joseph wasn't using that

to draw attention to himself. He wasn't saying, hey guys, God has given me this special gift.

Watch this. Watch this magic trick here. Watch this parlor trick. You tell me your dreams,

I'll tell you what they mean. That was a big, big deal back in Egyptian culture. They even wrote a

textbook on it eventually, on how to interpret dreams. Of course, all the methods that they used

were sketchy at best trying to use what little they knew of math and science and probability and

cause and effect to try to interpret dreams. But in reality, they had no clue, right? Because no one can

actually interpret dreams except for God. So, Joseph pointed them to God. He pointed the heathen

to God. This isn't the only time in scriptures we see this specific thing happening. Would you look

over at Daniel chapter 2 and verse 26? And actually, I've got it on the screen here, but because Daniel

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

also pointed the heathen to God. The king said to Daniel, so jump several books up and we see this

tale unfold where King Nebuchadnezzar is speaking to Daniel. He's troubled by this dream and Daniel is one

of his advisors. And he says, are you able to tell me the dream I had in its interpretation? Because

Daniel had talked to all of his other wise men. All these other men who maybe had read that old

Egyptian textbook on how to how to interpret dreams and it had left them no better equipped than they

were before and they couldn't help the king at all. And so, he says to God's servant Daniel, are you able

to tell me the dream? And Daniel says to the king, no wise man, no medium, no magician, no diviner is able

to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. I'm sorry, king, no one can tell you your dream.

But it doesn't stop there. Verse 28, but there is a God in heaven.

There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will

happen in the last days. And he goes on to give him the interpretation from God about the dream.

This is not the only time in the story of Joseph here that we see God's servant point the heathen

back to him. And y'all, can I just draw your attention to that phrase here?

Whatever you're going through, whatever struggle comes up in your life that you can't seem to figure

out a path forward, you can't seem to find a way to get over it or around it or under it or through it,

may I remind you that there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.

If you walk closely with him,

if you strengthen your relationship with him,

then he will often reveal the secrets to you as well.

He'll help you get through

those dark nights. He'll help you get through those scary storms.

He'll help you get through

those moments when you feel like you are a little bit like Joseph

sitting on the inside of a prison cell,

forgotten by your family, forgotten by your friends,

forgotten by your employers, your co-workers.

Everyone in your life has forgotten you,

but there is a God in heaven.

And you know what Joseph did?

He didn't use that fact just for his own comfort.

He used that fact to point others back to God.

He pointed the heathen to God.

So I'm asking you, church,

are you pointing the heathen to God?

Anyone in your life, you say,

man, all my friends are church people.

All my friends already love Jesus.

Well, maybe it's time

to start to introduce yourself

to some of those people you don't go to church with.

Some of those people in your circle

that you're not sure if

they have a personal relationship with Jesus.

By the way, just because somebody goes to church

doesn't mean they have a personal relationship with Jesus, right?

That's certainly true.

Whether it's a collection of people at Walmart

or Cowboy Stadium or the church house,

it doesn't mean that everybody in there is Christians.

There's going to be a hodgepodge of hypocrites

and judgmental sinners,

and that's who we are regardless of where we go,

and only by the grace of God

can any of us be any different than that.

So, there is a God of heaven,

and we have the responsibility and the privilege

of pointing the heathen to him.

So, what did he do?

Back in Genesis 40,

let's pick it up in verse 9.

Verse 9.

So, the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph.

In my dream,

there was a vine in front of me.

On the vine were three branches.

As soon as it budded,

its blossoms came out,

and its clusters ripened into grapes.

Pharaoh's cup was in my hand,

and I took the grapes,

squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup,

and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.

Weird dream.

Can't say I've ever had anything like it.

How about y'all?

Nobody?

Nobody?

So, Joseph immediately gets the interpretation from God.

Wow, God came through in just the right moment.

He always does.

He always does.

Sometimes we feel like it may not be the right moment.

Sometimes we don't get an answer quite as quickly as Joseph did.

But in that moment,

God knew Joseph needed that answer right then,

and he gives it to him.

This is its interpretation.

Joseph said to him,

the three branches are three days.

In just three days,

Pharaoh will lift up your head,

otherwise known as letting him out of prison.

Restore you to your position.

You will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand

the way you used to when you were his cupbearer.

But when all goes well for you,

remember that I was with you.

Please show kindness to me

by mentioning me to Pharaoh

and get me out of this prison.

For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews,

and even here I've done nothing

that they should have put me in this dungeon.

So Joseph, by faith,

receives this interpretation from God.

Gives glory to God

by being able to reveal the secret of this dream

to this Egyptian officer.

And then he can't help but throw that last part in.

By the way, when this happens,

because he had enough faith to believe

that what God said was going to happen

would happen.

Any of us ever been there?

Have enough faith to believe

that what God said will happen

will come to pass?

Sometimes it's hard, right?

The Bible talks about

if you ask in faith,

believing,

and Joseph believed it would come to pass.

And so he said,

when this happens for you,

remember me too,

because I didn't really do anything wrong,

and I'm stuck here in this prison,

don't forget about me.

Back in verse 16 of chapter 40,

when the baker,

the chief baker,

saw that the interpretation,

the butler,

the cupbearer's interpretation

was positive,

he said to Joseph,

well, hey man,

I also had a dream.

Three baskets of white bread

were on my head.

In the top basket

were all sorts of baked goods

for Pharaoh.

But the birds were eating them

out of the basket on my head.

Joseph replies,

this is its interpretation,

the three baskets are three days,

just like the other guy.

In just three days,

Pharaoh will lift up your head

from off of you.

Did you catch that?

Lift up your head from off of you

and hang you on a tree.

Then the birds will eat the flesh

from your body.

A little different interpretation there.

A little, right?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, baker,

but he doesn't like your bread.

On the third day,

well, before we get there,

of course it happened,

just like Joseph said.

Now,

what we see from Joseph,

without dwelling on these two dreams

and what they could have meant

and see if there's anything

more significant about these two dreams

with these two men,

what I think the real takeaway here

is seeing how Joseph's faith grew.

Joseph exhibited consistent growth

in his walk with God.

He started off believing in God.

He was a descendant of Abraham.

We talked about the Abrahamic covenant last week,

that promise that God made to Abraham

and the generations

that would follow after him

to preserve them,

to bless them,

to make them succeed.

And we see so much drama,

so much turmoil

in the family of Abraham

despite this Abrahamic covenant,

this promise from God.

Joseph was not exempt.

He was going through so much trouble.

And yet,

all throughout the trouble,

as each new tragedy,

each new disaster

would play out in his life,

man,

I don't think the biggest temptation

that Joseph ever faced

was from his boss's wife.

I think the biggest temptation

was depression

when he was let down

time and time again by people.

His dad let him down

by showing all this favoritism

to him as a child

that set him up for a fall.

His brothers obviously let him down

when they wanted to kill him

and then settled for selling him

to slave traders.

And even in Egypt,

when he thought,

finally I'm working for an unbiased

third party

and at least this heathen,

Potiphar,

sees the value in me

and has promoted me.

And now he let him down too

when his boss's wife compromised

her marriage,

tried to seduce him.

Time and time again,

he's let down by others.

But we never see him

go into a funk.

We never see him lose

his faith.

We see him continually grow.

And that's another type of Christ.

Because you know who else did that?

In a much greater way?

A much more perfect way?

An absolutely perfect way?

Jesus himself.

Luke 2.52,

Jesus grew in wisdom

and in stature

and in favor

with God

and all the people.

And that's the challenge

for you and for me.

How much have we grown?

We've got people

sitting in this room right now

who have been followers of Jesus

for just a very short time.

And then we've got people

who were saved

and put their faith in Jesus

decades ago.

We've got the whole spectrum

here in this room.

But my question for all of you

and for myself

is how much did you grow

with your walk with Jesus

this year?

How much have you changed

this year?

Or somewhere along the way

did we slow down?

Did we stop growing?

Did we just settle for

well this is who I am?

You see Joseph

learned how to work hard.

Joseph learned

how to administrate well.

Joseph learned

how to resist temptation.

He learned how to point others to God.

He learned how to powerfully pray

and receive wisdom from God.

So are you still growing consistently

or have you just made peace

with the cracks

in your own foundation?

Y'all we've all got cracks

at our foundation.

But God's will

is that we would cease

to rely on our foundation

and build our lives

on the rock

the solid rock

which is Jesus Christ.

And when we do that

then he starts to seal up

the cracks

in those foundation.

He wants to be

your foundation.

and then he wants

to help you seal those cracks

and keep out the enemy

whose only goal

is to seek

and to kill

and to destroy

what God is building

in your life.

So,

when did we stop growing

in Christ?

even in the hardest

of times

in the most difficult

of circumstances

Joseph

kept growing.

But when did we become

okay

with our weaknesses

and then force

everybody around us

just to be okay

with our weaknesses too?

That is just who I am.

God loves you

with no strings attached.

But God loves you so much

he doesn't want you

to stay where you are.

He wants to grow you.

So if you're not growing

maybe it's because

you've drifted apart

a little bit.

You've got to get back

to pursuing the person

of Jesus

becoming more

like him.

Let's get back

to our text

and we'll be done.

Genesis 40

and verse 20.

On the third day

which was Pharaoh's birthday

he gave a feast

for all his servants.

See, God knew

that the third day

the three days from then

would be Pharaoh's birthday

and he would give a feast.

And he let both those

political prisoners

the ones in captivity

the chief cupbearer

and the chief baker

he led him out of prison

for the feast.

But what happened?

He elevated the chief cupbearer

and the chief baker

among his servants

and everything went great

with the cupbearer.

He restored him

to his position

as cupbearer

and he placed the cup

in Pharaoh's hand

just like he used to.

But it didn't go well

with the chief baker.

Pharaoh hanged

the chief baker

just as Joseph

had explained to them

yet the chief cupbearer

did not remember Joseph.

He forgot him.

We're going to get to that part

in just a moment

but before we get there

let me ask you this.

Who can you count on?

Amen.

Amen.

For all you English people

whom can you count on?

On whom can you count?

But I just thought

that sounded a lot better

so we'll roll with it.

Who can you count on?

Well he couldn't count

on the cupbearer

could he?

Even though he came

through for the guy.

Verse 14

back in verse 14

you remember what he said?

When all goes well for you

remember that I was with you.

Show kindness to me

by mentioning me to Pharaoh

and get me out of this prison.

And then back in verse 23

the chief cupbearer

did not remember Joseph.

Forgot him.

Who can you count on

except God?

Psalm 118

reminds us of that

in the New Living Translation

it says

it's better to take refuge

in the Lord

than to trust in people.

Anybody say amen to that?

It's better

to take refuge

in the Lord

than to trust in people.

Isn't that right?

It is better

to run to our hiding place

which is Jesus Christ

than it is

to put your trust

in mankind.

Sometimes

people will come

through for you.

Usually

it's because of love.

Usually

it's because of

people that maybe

are walking closely

with Jesus

and he helps them

come through.

But

often times

even those

of us

who call ourselves

followers of Jesus

will let each other down.

We will.

And so we must

always

run to Jesus

as our hiding place.

As our ultimate

place of trust.

The truth

I want you to remember

that we can learn

from Genesis 40.

God

will never

forget

me.

God

will never

forget

me.

If you can

instill that

into your brain

God

will never

forget

me.

There's two sides

to that.

One is pure

comfort.

God

thank you so much

that no matter

how bleak

things look

on this earth

no matter

how bad

it gets

I know

you haven't

forgotten me

I know

you're still

with me

I know

you still

care for me

I know

you'll provide

for me

I know

you'll make

a way

through the

storm

I know

you'll make

a way

through the

wilderness

I know

that you

will come

through

time and

time again

and the

other side

of the

coin

is this

God

never

forgets

about you

so quit

running

from him

sometimes

we like

to think

that we've

strayed

so far

away

from God

that he's

forgotten

about us

man

you don't

know what

I've done

yeah I used

to go to

church

how many times

I've heard

this from

people

yeah I used

to I heard

all that

when I was

a kid

but then I

got into

some stuff

and my

faith just

isn't what

it used

to be

yeah but

God is

still who

he used

to be

and he

still loves

you

he still

cares

he never

changed

he never

moved

and he's

always

right there

he has

not

forgotten

about you

whether you

grow your

faith like

Joseph

and God

uses you

powerfully

every step

of the way

even through

the dark

times or

whether you

fail

and you

fall

and you

crumble

God

still

loves

God

doesn't

forget

and he's

ready to

pick you

back up

and put

you back

on the

Joseph

path

says let's

go

come on

I got a

great job

for you

if you've

read ahead

in the story

you know

that God

had an

amazing

plan

for Joseph

but he

had to

get him

there

first

so while

it seemed

like everyone

had forgotten

God

will never

forget

us

we talked

about this

last week

God's

delays

are not

God's

denials

Joseph

had to

be delayed

yet again

yet again

but it

wasn't

God

saying

no

it

wasn't

God

saying

Joseph

remember

those

dreams

I

gave

you

give

up

on

them

they're

not

going

to

come

true

life

got

too

rough

too

many

people

turned

against

you

things

fell

apart

that's

never

what

God's

message

is

God's

message

is

always

no

I

am

greater

I

am

stronger

than

anyone

who

could

rise

up

against

you

no

one

can

pluck

you

out

of

my

hand

so

God's

delays

are

not

God's

denials

and the

truth is

in the

background

while we're

waiting

God

is

working

while

I'm

waiting

God

is

always

working

God

never

stops

working

you see

you and

I

might

be

in a

time

of

delay

we

might

be

in a

time

of

waiting

we

might

be

in

between

time

of

life

and

sometimes

it

might

look

really

bad

like

Joseph

sitting

in

a

prison

or

sometimes

it

just

might

mean

you're

in

a

dead

end

job

and

you

can't

figure

out

how

to

get

out

of

it

it

might

look

like

you

never

saw

the

career

that

you

envisioned

for

yourself

or

maybe

the

relationships

you

envisioned

for

yourself

and

things

just

aren't

going

exactly

how

you

pictured

but

just

know

that

while

you're

waiting

God

is

working

behind

the

scenes

Joseph

was

favored

by

his

father

why

man

it

goes

all

the

way

back

without

taking

all

the

time

to

get

into

it

it

goes

back

to

when

his

father

Jacob

fell

in

love

with

a

girl

named

Rachel

and

wanted

to

marry

her

and

the

future

father

in

law

pulled

a

switcheroo

at

the

last

second

and

she

had

a

little

drama

plays out

and

it's

Joseph

and

so

we

kind

of

get

the

idea

of

why

he

was

Jacob's

favorite

and

probably

his

mama's

favorite

too

right

but

God

had

planned

all

this

because

the

pieces

had

to

fall

into

place

and

then

he

allowed

Joseph

to

be

betrayed

by

his

brothers

because

if

the

brothers

had

never

betrayed

Joseph

then

he

wouldn't

have

been

sold

to

the

slave

traders

and

made

his

way

to

Egypt

where

he

got

promoted

by

Potiphar

from

the

slave

and

how

unlikely

was

that

in

his

probably

his

first

year

of

service

as

a

slave

and

he

gets

promoted

to

the

head

of

household

and

everything

is

going

great

and

then

boom

the

roller

coaster

goes

back

down

again

and

he

is

wrongly

accused

by

the

wife

and

it's

like

man

I

can't

catch

a

break

around

here

when

it

rains

it

pours

right

all

the

things

that

we

say

Joseph

lived

lands

in

prison

but

he's

not

killed

because

God

had

a

plan

Joseph

could

go

to

prison

but

not

die

and

then

he

earns

the

favor

of

the

warden

and

then

he

gets

free

range

in

the

prison

free

range

chicken

is

the

best

right

this

was

free

range

prisoner

I

don't

know

what

that

means

but

I

what

if

he

hadn't

worried

about

it

but

God

was

working

behind

the

scenes

while

Joseph

was

waiting

and

then

he

had

to

have

the

interpretation

of

the

dreams

right

then

right

then

and

what

happened

was

soon

as

Pharaoh

needed

something

the

butler

remembered

Joseph

right

no

yet

again

another

delay

another

delay

and

if

you

want

to

know

what

happens

next

you

got

to

come

back

next

week

but

Joseph's

faith

made

him

faithful

Joseph's

faith

made

him

faithful

guys

there's

no

secret

I wish

I could

tell

you

some

sort

of

secret

ingredient

for how

to stay

faithful

through the

storms

of this

life

but

it's

daily

pursuing

the

person

of

Jesus

strengthening

our

faith

in

him

that's

what

allowed

Joseph

to

sustain

to

not

lose

his

faith

to

stay

faithful

to

God

in

the

middle

of

all

of

this

and

then

Joseph's

trials

made

him

grow

he

didn't

just

stay

faithful

to

God

he

didn't

just

lose

his

faith

he

got

better

he

grew

he

improved

he

was

a

better

Christian

after

he

came

through

these

storms

than

before

God

was

using

him

more

powerfully

than

ever

before

can

we

say

the

same

thing

let's

look

at

James

chapter

one

real

quick

we

read

it

last

week

consider

it

a

great

joy

when

you

go

through

these

trials

because

you

know

that

when

your

faith

is

tested

it

produces

endurance

so let

endurance

have

its

full

effect

so you

can

become

mature

and

complete

lacking

nothing

a few

chapters

over

James

says

brothers

and sisters

be patient

until the

Lord's

coming

see how

the farmer

waits for

the precious

fruit of

the earth

we just

got some

precious

fruit of

the earth

last night

didn't we

thank God

for it

we got

the rain

and he

is patient

with it

until he

receives

the early

and late

rains

you must

also be

patient

strengthen

your hearts

because the

Lord's

coming

is near

so my

message

to you

folks

is

strengthen

your

hearts

during

this

in

the

time

season

during

this

waiting

period

strengthen

your

hearts

and then

in verse

nine

my

brothers

and sisters

don't

complain

about

one

another

so you

won't

be

judged

look

the judge

stands

at the

door

God

is

always

there

he's

always

watching

he's

always

working

so don't

be

turning

on one

another

that's

what we

do

sometimes

when life

gets

rough

when we're

in those

waiting

periods

we turn

on each

other

we start

sniping

at each

other

we start

taking shots

at one

another

we start

trying to

tear each

other

down

and James

knows

it's

going to

happen

so he

says

don't

complain

about

each

other

verse

10

instead

brothers

and sisters

take

the

prophets

who

spoke

in the

Lord's

name

as an

example

of

suffering

and

patience

see

we

count

as

blessed

those

who

have

endured

well

we

know

Joseph's

going

to be

blessed

so we

count

him as

this

struggle

so our

takeaway

for today

is let

this season

of divine

delay

make a

discernible

difference

in how

you live

your faith

a difference

that we can

discern

a difference

that people

can notice

a difference

where your

husband or

wife says

you seem

happier

even though

nothing really

changed in

our circumstances

you're

changing

what's

going on

with you

well

just trying

to learn

what Joseph

learned

and let

this season

of delay

that seems

to be coming

from God

make a

difference

in how

I live

my faith

not just

how I

say I

have faith

but how

I live

it out

maybe

God can

use you

to point

the heathen

to him

maybe God

can use

you to

help

somebody

else

maybe God

is setting

you up

for your

greatest

days yet

as part

of his

plan for

you

I don't

know what

God has

for you

but I

know this

he's got

something

or we'd

all be

home with

him right

now

but the

reason he's

delaying it

the reason

for this

waiting period

God has

something

great

for us

so let's

grow our

faith together

Lord Jesus

we ask it

right now

in the name

of Jesus

we come to

you

we approach

your throne

and we say

God

make us

like Joseph

that when

our faith

is tested

we would

not only

pass the

test

but our

faith would

be grown

where those

around us

can see

you're

becoming

more like

Jesus

whatever

those changes

need to look

like in our

lives

God

reveal them

by your

Holy Spirit

to us

and then

give us

the courage

to say

yes to

you

every time

it's in

Jesus name

we pray

amen

church

would you

erreichen

unless

you

you

do

�

our

hope