Praise You In This Storm

3 Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age. And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat. 4 When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him—they wouldn’t even speak to him.

Genesis 37:5–8 The Message

5 Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said, “Listen to this dream I had. 7 We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat. All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine.” 8 His brothers said, “So! You’re going to rule us? You’re going to boss us around?” And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams and the way he talked.

Genesis 37:18–27 The Message

18 They spotted him off in the distance. By the time he got to them they had cooked up a plot to kill him. 19 The brothers were saying, “Here comes that dreamer. 20 Let’s kill him and throw him into one of these old cisterns; we can say that a vicious animal ate him up. We’ll see what his dreams amount to.” 21 Reuben heard the brothers talking and intervened to save him, “We’re not going to kill him. 22 No murder. Go ahead and throw him in this cistern out here in the wild, but don’t hurt him.” Reuben planned to go back later and get him out and take him back to his father. 23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing, 24 grabbed him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was dry; there wasn’t any water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat their supper. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead, their camels loaded with spices, ointments, and perfumes to sell in Egypt. 26 Judah said, “Brothers, what are we going to get out of killing our brother and concealing the evidence? 27 Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not kill him—he is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

Genesis 37:33–36 The Message

33 He recognized it at once. “My son’s coat—a wild animal has eaten him. Joseph torn limb from limb!” 34 Jacob tore his clothes in grief, dressed in rough burlap, and mourned his son a long, long time. 35 His sons and daughters tried to comfort him but he refused their comfort. “I’ll go to the grave mourning my son.” Oh, how his father wept for him. 36 In Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, manager of his household affairs.

We all have problems. Wifi doesnt work, flat tires, those things that are really just random chance yet we seem to take them so personally, ruining our day and cursing God.

Then there are those times when you would beg for a flat tire to be the worst problem you have.

Those times when life gets dark, whether its from uncontrollable circumstance or caused by sin, sometimes in life, things get so muddy and thick that we almost can’t see the light. When God seems so distant that when he speaks it is nearly a whisper. Those moments when you feel as if every day you are asking God Why and for how long will this go on?

Yet, for those who remain steadfast, God has a very clear command.

DO NOT QUIT

Genesis 39:2–6 (CSB)

2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful, 4 Joseph found favor with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority. 5 From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6 He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Genesis 39:6–20 (The Message)

Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. 7 As time went on, his master’s wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, “Sleep with me.”

8 He wouldn’t do it. He said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master doesn’t give a second thought to anything that goes on here—he’s put me in charge of everything he owns. 9 He treats me as an equal. The only thing he hasn’t turned over to me is you. You’re his wife, after all! How could I violate his trust and sin against God?”

10 She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.

11 On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there. 12 She grabbed him by his cloak, saying, “Sleep with me!” He left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house. 13 When she realized that he had left his coat in her hand and run outside, 14 she called to her house servants: “Look—this Hebrew shows up and before you know it he’s trying to seduce us. He tried to make love to me but I yelled as loud as I could. 15 With all my yelling and screaming, he left his coat beside me here and ran outside.”

16 She kept his coat right there until his master came home. 17 She told him the same story. She said, “The Hebrew slave, the one you brought to us, came after me and tried to use me for his plaything. 18 When I yelled and screamed, he left his coat with me and ran outside.”

19 When his master heard his wife’s story, telling him, “These are the things your slave did to me,” he was furious. 20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the jail where the king’s prisoners were locked up.

Just when things seemed like they might be getting better, bam! Life hits again.

I remember telling a friend while I was going through some dark times, that I felt like a kid carrying to many legos, and if I could just get to my bed and let go of all those legos, then I could start to build and things would be good. But every step i took, some legos fell to the ground before I could reach the bed, and I would have to figure out how to pick these legos up while I still held all the others.

Sometimes, and I know this is unpopular to say sometimes in church, but sometimes things don't get better. They get worse.

But even in these times, where you see no end in sight God is there whispering to you...

DONT GIVE UP

So eventually Joseph gets out of prison. He had interpreted some of the other prisoners dreams and when pharoah found out he had Jospeh brought before him to reveal what his dreams meant. Pharoah was so pleased with Joseph that he put him in charge.

Genesis 41:39–40 The Message

39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You’re the man for us. God has given you the inside story—no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom. 40 From now on, you’re in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you. Only as king will I be over you.”

Genesis 42:3–11 The Message

3 Ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to get food. 4 Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Ben-jamin with them; he was afraid that something bad might happen to him. 5 So Israel’s sons joined everyone else that was going to Egypt to buy food, for Canaan, too, was hit hard by the famine. 6 Joseph was running the country; he was the one who gave out rations to all the people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they treated him with honor, bowing to him. 7 Joseph recognized them immediately, but treated them as strangers and spoke roughly to them. He said, “Where do you come from?” “From Canaan,” they said. “We’ve come to buy food.” 8 Joseph knew who they were, but they didn’t know who he was. 9 Joseph, remembering the dreams he had dreamed of them, said, “You’re spies. You’ve come to look for our weak spots.” 10 “No, master,” they said. “We’ve only come to buy food. 11 We’re all the sons of the same man; we’re honest men; we’d never think of spying.”

Genesis 42:17 The Message

17 Then he threw them into jail for three days.

Genesis 42:21–26 The Message

21 Then they started talking among themselves. “Now we’re paying for what we did to our brother—we saw how terrified he was when he was begging us for mercy. We wouldn’t listen to him and now we’re the ones in trouble.” 22 Reuben broke in. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t hurt the boy’? But no, you wouldn’t listen. And now we’re paying for his murder.” 23 Joseph had been using an interpreter, so they didn’t know that Joseph was understanding every word. 24 Joseph turned away from them and cried. When he was able to speak again, he took Simeon and had him tied up, making a prisoner of him while they all watched. 25 Then Joseph ordered that their sacks be filled with grain, that their money be put back in each sack, and that they be given rations for the road. That was all done for them. 26 They loaded their food supplies on their donkeys and set off.

Genesis 42:27–28 The Message

27 When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get food for his donkey; there at the mouth of his bag was his money. 28 He called out to his brothers, “My money has been returned; it’s right here in my bag!” They were puzzled—and frightened. “What’s God doing to us?”

Genesis 45:3 CSB

3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.

Genesis 45:9–11 CSB

9 “Return quickly to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. 10 You can settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you, your children, and your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have. 11 There I will sustain you, for there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you, your household, and everything you have will become destitute.” ’

Genesis 50:16–20 (The Message)

16 So they sent Joseph a message, “Before his death, your father gave this command: 17 Tell Joseph, ‘Forgive your brothers’ sin—all that wrongdoing. They did treat you very badly.’ Will you do it? Will you forgive the sins of the servants of your father’s God?”

When Joseph received their message, he wept.

18 Then the brothers went in person to him, threw themselves on the ground before him and said, “We’ll be your slaves.”

19 Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? 20 Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. and your children.” He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart.

You meant it for evil, God meant it for good. You see friends I don’t care what situation your life is in right now, God is whispering to you right now, DO NOT QUIT. God can use any of our stories no matter how dark, for his good and his glory.

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