Would you like for someone to predict accurately the path your life will take and the successes and/or failures that will occur along that path? That’s exactly what happened in Genesis 49 when Jacob spoke over the lives of his sons. Did you know that God has a plan for your life and that your life today just may have a lot to do with your life tomorrow?
All these things are against me, Jacob cried out. Can you believe that such an assertion
could come from the lips of a person who supposedly trusted God? Yet, how often we
feel exactly as Jacob! He had become convinced that everything had worked counter
to his longings, when in fact, everything had happened directly in his favor. The same
is true for you. This ancient story rushes headlong into our lives and changes
everything. Don’t doubt it.
The secret of power is the secret of character, says Griffith Thomas, and the secret of character is the indwelling of God. Though Pharaoh was a pagan he recognized in Joseph a man who communed with a high and mighty divine being. When we live with God, people know it! When we live with God, our whole being is affected. Because he lived with God, Joseph became a person who could git-r-done! We can be that person too.
When God gets ready to open a door no one can stand in His way, not even the most powerful potentate in the world. God walked right into the most private and intimate place of this Pharoah’s life and accomplished His will. You and I may be locked away in a prison somewhere, but God knows no boundaries. In His perfect timing, He performs His work on our behalf.
Verses 1 & 2 in Genesis 39 present a paradox. In verse 1 we are told that Joseph was sold for a second time as a slave, yet verse two tells us that Joseph became a successful man. Does that make sense? It seems that nothing had gone right and that things would get worse. Yet, Joseph became a successful man? How can that be? Let’s dig a little deeper, and brace yourself for success.
Jealousy is not the result of what we see wrong in someone else. Jealousy the result of what we see wrong ourselves. However, instead of facing up to our own deficiency, we cover the deficiency by belittling the one whom we actually perceive as having more on the ball than do we. Of course, we would never admit it! Is there a cure? Yes!