A subtitle to today's blog could be--Who's Responsibility Is It Anyway? If we have heard the voice of our Shepherd, if we are following hard after Him, if we acknowledge the fact the He is leading us in a path that HE deems the right path for us to be on, then we must fully trust in the fact that it is HIS responsibility to bring us out. How many times do we fret, cry, get angry and throw down our cross because WE can't figure someway out of what God has lead us into. The times that frustrate us the most are the times we should be "snuggling" with the Shepherd and not worrying our small, finite brains into fritters.
1 John 4:16--And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; Do you know who wrote this passage of scripture? The guy the Romans tried to boil in oil. He couldn't die so they sent him to a place where he wrote the book of Revelation. John the Beloved, knew and believed the love that God had for him when they were pouring the oil into the cauldron he was about to be put in. As he watched them build the fire under it, he still knew and believed that God loved him more than he could imagine. Loving God got him to that point in his life and loving God took him THROUGH it. Let me repeat the phrase I used in my last blog. God, who loves me more than I can understand, has a plan for me greater than I can imagine, that will bring more glory to HIS name than I could ever do myself. The highest form of praise that I could give to God, is to, gracefully, walk with Him through this valley until He works out His purpose in me.
It wasn't the dreams from God that Joseph had that got him into trouble. It wasn't because he told his family that got him into trouble. It was his jealous, backslidden brothers and their anger. God had a greater purpose in getting Joseph to Egypt. You don't think Joseph would go there by himself, do you? What if God said to Joseph, "Joseph, my son, my son. Leave your family and go down to Egypt. There you must sell yourself to be a slave to one named Potiphar. Yea, verily, his wife shall lie about you and you shall be cast into prison for several years., from whence I shall raise you up." God worked the jealousy of the brothers until HIS will was accomplished.
Let's take a step deeper into faith and God's sovereignty.m m Now, trust me, this is going to be a stretch for you. When did God give the dream to Pharoah that brought Joseph out of prison and into God's promotion? When did God open the Red Sea and destroy the entire Egyptian army? Natural reasoning might say that these two incidents were several hundred years apart. What do I believe? Well, I'm glad you asked because I was going to tell you anyway. In Luke 14, Jesus talks about counting the cost before you go about your business. We all know those words to be wise whether you are a saint or a sinner. But, don't you think that God practices what He preaches? I do. OK. Get ready for the stretch. But, before you dismiss it as junk, meditate on it first. I believe that Pharoah's dream, and the drama at the Red Sea were originated the very day that Abraham believed God's Word in Gen 15:13--And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; Verse 14--And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. God, accurately foretold the valley and He also, accurately foretold the abundance that He had planned. It was NOT the Hebrew's responsibility to bring them out. It was God's because it was God's plan for them. It was their responsibility to believe and praise Him for His answer even when they did not know what the answer would be.
As a side note, parents and grandparents--I, also believe, that our faith or the lack thereof will have a direct impact on our descendants. I choose to have my faith impact them and not my backslidden doubt.
God has a plan for me in this valley. I renounce my citizenship in the country of doubt and fear and I seek to join the heroes of faith to boldly declare---God is still God and His Word is still true.
If you have enjoyed this, please pass it on. You'll never know who might be struggling in their valley right now.
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