15 But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared—the Lord of hosts is His name. 16 And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” Isaiah 51:15-16
Joseph’s brothers were jealous to the point of murder because of their father’s love for him. Often we tend to be like these brothers, not realizing our acts of sin towards our brothers and forgetting that we serve a Father who is watching us. However, God is gracious, allowing us enough time to change our ways. He is the God who thinks thoughts of good, not of evil and as He has a divine purpose for us; He also has one for our children.
Joseph did not realize that his simple dreams would take him away to another place. Although Jacob did not like it when Joseph told him that he and his wife and children would bow down to him, he was drawn to what Joseph said. Sometimes God sends people to give us a message or uses His small but audible voice, but we do not want to believe it, allowing the flesh to prevail and not tapping into what God has told us. However, relationship with God is very important and it includes getting into His Word, getting to know more about our heritage and building a close relationship with Him as we talk to Him. Indeed, God even wants us to share what happened to us during the day, with Him.
We must also set aside time with God so that we know what He wants us to do for His kingdom. We also need to spend time praying for lost souls. Joseph was not alive during the time that would come when Pharaoh would rise up against the Hebrews who were growing in number in Egypt, but his life impacted that period.
We need to put a stop to word curses spoken over our children’s lives and be aware of what is going on in the world around us such as the recent “Charlie Challenge.” We need to put on the belt of truth and indeed our whole armour, to fight on behalf of our children. We can sometimes speaks words of death over others. Consequently we may criticize the way they speak or walk, but we cannot account for how a person acts. That is between them and God. So we must pray and uproot these word curses from our lives and those of our children. If we take a moment to forget to do so and do not stand in a place of righteousness, Satan will be standing ready for us. If people have issues with us, we need to let them work that out with God.
Note that Joseph maintained a good attitude throughout the period of his enslavement in Egypt and this indicates that we too have our part to play. As Joseph served his master faithfully, God exalted him. He did not try to overpower his master or talk about him in any way even when he was jailed wrongfully because of Potiphar’s scheming wife. Neither did Joseph curse Pharaoh.
Isaiah 51:1-16 speaks of the blessings that await God’s people. Truly a blessing awaited Joseph. Joseph’s dreams led him to become governor of Egypt and to pave the way for the fulfillment of his destiny. We have to decide whether we are going to allow the flesh to lead us away from God’s plans, We also have to decide whether we are going to fight for our children or allow the enemy to get them. God wants to have an encounter with us and with our children, but when was the last time we had an encounter with God and heard His voice? We have to continually give our children to God throughout their lives just as Job did. God wants a relationship with us that remains steadfast even in the trying times. Note how in the end, Joseph forgave even the brothers who had sold him into slavery. We must not let our feelings get in the way of our destiny. Instead, we must press toward that mark and we will make it if our eyes remain on Jesus.
