Suffering

Frank:
In 2007, Sonny Perdue, the governor of Georgia declared a state of emergency for the Northern part of Georgia. A drought hit Georgia harder than it had in decades. Rivers had become tiny little streams and lakes were at historic lows. This drought was affecting the lives of millions of people. The Governor appealed to the President, asking him to declare the drought as a major disaster so Georgia could receive federal aid.
At the end of Genesis 41 we read about a similar disaster. The Famine spread over all of Egypt and as verse 57 says, “over all the earth.” In this state of emergency the world turned to one man to care for them, and that man was Joseph. Joseph was responsible for the distribution and sale of grain and he personally oversaw the whole project. Chris and I want to tell you his story. It’s found in Gen. 37-50. We’re going to summarize it with 6 words.
One day, something familiar caught Joseph’s eye. As he looked closely he realized that his brothers had come to collect grain for their families. After a series of “tests”, Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers and tells them of God’s provision. He says, “God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” (Gen 45:5b-8). The rest of Joseph’s story is tied up with a bow, where there was separation, now there was a united family. Where there was danger, now there was safety. Where there was plight, there was now provision and it was all because Joseph was Pharaoh’s second in-command.Read More »Scary Stories From Sunday School: God’s Plans Seem too Hidden (Gen. 37-50) November 3, 2013 – Sunday Morning Message