Invincible

 "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20...."The more I gaze upon the Lord, the more faith-filled and expectant I become. How could it be otherwise?" Michael Brown....."Thy will be done!"......is affirmation of the invincible." Vance Havner

The words spoken in Genesis 50:20 are those of Joseph, son of Jacob. Joseph, the favorite of his father, and hated by his brothers because of it, had been sold into slavery to Amalekite traders and eventually sold as a slave to the Egyptians. His brothers saw it as an excellent way to be rid of him without actually killing him. This began a decade long journey for Joseph in the growth of his faith and character. It was a journey that led him from being a household slave, to being held in a prison, and eventually coming to the attention of the Pharoah, and being raised to the office of what we consider that of Prime Minister. Events carried on that led to a great famine upon the land that reached even his family, and his brothers, in Canaan. They came to him for food, and through the unfolding story, he eventually revealed to them who he was, their brother Joseph. They were stunned, and they were fearful. Joseph had the power to destroy them. Instead, he told them that their plans, which were meant for his destruction, had been controlled and directed by God for purposes far above and beyond what any could have known. Through David's position, not only would countless Egyptian lives be saved, but the lives of his entire family. It is a powerful lesson in the sovereign might of God. It gives meaning to the quotes of both Michael Brown and Vance Havner. Through all those years, Joseph kept the eyes of his heart upon his God and His promises to Him. As a result, in every temptation to give up, his heart was fortified with a deeper faith. He lived in expectation of His Almighty God being just that; Almighty. We see too the truth of Havner's words. When we pray that His will be done, and trust that it will be, the work of the Father will prove to be invincible. Joseph knew, through what God had promised him, what His Father's will was, and he trusted that nothing, not all of his circumstances together, could prevent that will from unfolding. His will was invincible.

This is the kind of faith the Father not only wants us to have, but expects us to have. It is the kind of faith Jesus spoke of when He ministered on earth. It is a faith that trusts in the hand, heart, and mind of God, even when circumstances seem to point against any of His promises or His will coming to pass. It's a faith that trusts in the sovereign power and authority of God over all things. It's a faith that believes that even when the worst that could happen to us, does happen, we can hold on to Him. We can believe and trust Him. We can believe that what the enemy may mean for our harm, He will work to our good. I don't know that God desired the actions of Joseph's brothers, but I do know that He used the results of those actions to make Joseph into a man that He could entrust His will for to come to pass. He used Joseph's sorrows to shape him for His own glory, and for the good of two nations.

Joseph, before he revealed himself to his brothers, had demanded they bring his younger brother to him from Canaan. When his father Jacob was told this, he was stricken with fear that he might lose his youngest son, Benjamin, just as he had lost Joseph. "Everything is against me," was his cry. Where do you and I feel something of the same in our lives? Where do we feel like the entire world is falling in upon us? Jacob could not foresee that soon he would be reunited with his son Joseph. Soon, the terrors of the famine would be over. God was sovereignly at work, in control, and for a good beyond all he could imagine. It is no different for us. Suffering is a part of living in this fallen world, but His expectation for us is to keep gazing upon Him in it, obeying, following, trusting in His goodness. If we will, we will see His perfect will in it all unfold, and we'll see that His will is invincible. And when we live in its fullness, so are we.

Blessings,

Pastor O