GLORIFY GOD IN EVERY SEASON
Kendra Intihar
Today's Scripture: “So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 45:8, ESV
Theme: Learn to make God the hero of your story in every circumstance.
COUNTING BLESSINGS
I was recently talking with a group of friends about how to differentiate between regular optimism and “toxic positivity,” where people are encouraged to stay positive and not acknowledge their negative emotions.
To be honest, this is a hard one for me. I am a naturally optimistic person, so I know I’ve been guilty of forcing my optimism on unwilling recipients who feel that their pain is being diminished. I have been on the long journey of learning to sit with people in their pain, but I have also been learning that even in difficult circumstances, we can and should recall God’s blessings in our lives.
An exercise my Life Group and I are participating in right now is making a list of things God has blessed us with. They can be anything from the extremely serious to the extremely mundane. Just this morning, for example, I added “being seen and loved by my family, even when I feel unlovable” to my list. But I also added, “Clutch coffee’s perfect oat milk lattes.” I’ll let you decide which of those is more serious to me.
Kidding aside, the goal of the exercise is to illuminate God’s provision in our lives, every single day. This mindset matters and it makes a difference. Trust is a muscle which needs to be exercised. When we take intentional notes about what God is doing in our lives, we can permanently impress upon our hearts and minds that our God is a God who can be trusted in big ways, in small ways, and always…no matter what our circumstances may be.
PATTERNS
Joseph knew God was His provider. If you look closely in the story of Joseph, you can see a pattern:
Joseph is favored (by Jacob);
Joseph is given preferential treatment (a coat of many colors);
Joseph delivers an unwelcome truth (his dream that his brothers will bow to him);
Joseph’s garment is ripped off (by his brothers);
Joseph is thrown into a pit (by his brothers);
Joseph is favored (by Potiphar);
Joseph is given preferential treatment (rule over Potiphar’s house);
Joseph’s garment is ripped off (by Potiphar’s wife);
Joseph delivers an unwelcome truth (that he will not sleep with Potiphar’s wife);
Joseph is thrown into a pit (by Potiphar).
The Bible teaches us that we will also see these patterns of highs and lows in our own lives. In fact, Jesus Himself tells us that in this world we “will have trouble,” but that He has overcome the world (John 16:33)!
Romans tells us that “from him and through him and to him are all things…” (Romans 11:36, CSB). When we develop our “trust-muscle,” we can be confident that God is with us in good times and actively redeeming our hard times, even when we can’t see that redemption yet.
Joseph’s story is a great example of this because eventually, Joseph’s pattern played out in reverse:
Joseph is removed from the pit (Genesis 41:14a);
Joseph is clothed (Genesis 41:14b);
Joseph delivers a welcome truth (Genesis 41:16-32);
Joseph is once again favored (Genesis 41:39-45).
GLORY TO GOD
Throughout Joseph’s time in Egypt, he recalls, articulates, and claims the blessings of God, even giving his sons names that reflect God’s mercies. When he finally sees his brothers over a decade after they had sold him into slavery, they don’t recognize him. As he reveals himself to them, he says something remarkable: “And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5, CSB).
Joseph saw something in his story that we often do not: through his highs and his lows, God – not Joseph – was the constant hero of his story. When God felt near and Joseph experienced successes, instead of heroizing himself, he trusted God. When God felt far and Joseph could’ve leaned into what felt like abandonment, instead of feeling sorry for himself, he trusted God. Joseph made room for God to redeem his seemingly unredeemable story and use it for the good of God’s people.
Make it Personal: We are guaranteed to have good times and bad times; times of plenty and times of want; times of sadness and times of joy; times of health and times of sickness; and about a million other dichotomies in this life. The one constant, through it all, is the Lord’s unwavering trustworthiness. When we intentionally develop our trust in Him, then in our lowest moments, we can feel His presence. And in our times of success, we can give Him glory. What small step can you take today to begin or continue building trust in our God, who is always faithful? Start by making a list of the things He has given you: things that bring you joy; things that warm your heart; things that remind you how close He is to you.
Pray: God, let me experience Your nearness today and every day of my life. Show me how to build a trust in You that offers You all the glory in my life because of how confident I am in Your presence and Your goodness. Let my life be a testament to others of who You are in all of my messy, wonderful, broken, beautiful seasons. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Read: 1 Chronicles 16:8-36; Ephesians 3:1-8; Psalm 37:4-6
Weekly Memory Verse: “...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 6:1, NIV