?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
Today as we continue in our journey through the Bible, I wanted to give a quick review of the ?upper story and lower story? or ?God?s Story and Our Story.? So our story, or the lower story is about the here and now, what is happening in our lives, our experiences-it is everything that is happening in our lives from day to day, where through faith we trust God to meet our needs in this lower story?and God does! Everything that happens ties into God?s Upper Story. The Upper Story is when we look at all the things in our life from the perspective of God.? As we view the Bible through this lens, we see that God has been up to something amazing from the very beginning. God has a vision, a big idea, and it is all good news for us. As we explore our story today about Joseph, this is one of the best examples of the lower story and the upper story.
Listen to this story from Randy Frazee?s church about Jennifer. Jennifer, a young woman who attend the church where he pastored, had a big dream. She dreamed of going to college to become a nurse. She imagined being able to make a difference in the lives of hurting people who would benefit from her sharp mind, skilled hands, and tender heart. She knew if she realized her dream, it would be miraculous, since her family was not in a position to help her financially. In fact, if she finished, Jennifer would become the first member of her family to graduate from college.
After completing high school and earning good grades, Jennifer took the second step by applying to a college with a strong nursing program. Thanks to her grade point average, she got accepted, but this was only half the battle. Her dream would have to be deferred because she didn?t have the money to pay her tuition. But she didn?t give up. She got a job and began saving every penny she could from her paycheck, hoping one day to have enough for college. Week by week, dollar by dollar, she saved her money in a special box that she hid in her bedroom.
To save living expenses, Jennifer lived with her single mom and a 14 year old brother. He has some run-ins with the police for stealing things and had begun to get in trouble in school. It was no secret that he experimented with drugs as well. But Jennifer loved her brother and prayed for him every day. When others accused and judged him, she always stuck up for him and encouraged him to stay on the right path. Despite the turmoil in her family, Jennifer pressed on toward her dream, getting one step closer with every paycheck.
One week, she went to deposit the money into her savings box. When she opened it, she discovered that all but $20 was missing. She was crushed by the realization that her own brother had stolen from her to support his drug habit. Her dream now seemed further away than ever, and all because of her brother?s betrayal (The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee pg 41-42).?
This type of betrayal cuts to the core. Especially when you have put your trust in someone. It?s bad if it is a friend or colleague, but even worse when it is a family member. Betrayal is at the center of our context for the story of Joseph. As we heard through the video our scripture lesson today, I am amazed at how much Joseph trusted in God, how God used every situation for something better, and how Joseph forgave his brothers. But more importantly, I am grateful and in awe of how God kept the covenant that was promised through Abraham with Joseph.
To recap the scripture lesson, I wanted to ask a few questions. Audience participation is always appreciated!
After we heard that Joseph was Jacob?s favorite son, that he made a brilliant coat for him, and Joseph had dreams that showed him lording over his brothers, Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. For me, these questions came out of Genesis 37.
Have you ever been the favorite child in your family? Or as parents or grandparents, have you ever had a favorite child?
Have you ever had dreams that seemed so real that you believed them? Did you ever feel that you were receiving a message through your dreams?
Have you ever been sold into slavery by loved ones? Or have you ever been removed from your family and not understand the reasons behind it?
Do you know if your siblings or children ever lied about something that happened to make themselves feel better?
So Joseph was put into prison while he was in Egypt. We learn of his prison time in Genesis 39-41. Before being imprisoned, Joseph was in charge of Potiphar?s house. Potiphar was an Egyptian government official and Joseph was taking care of all of his affairs. Potiphar was so pleased with how Joseph was running everything until his wife got involved. I could ask the question, has your wife ever done something that destroyed your trust in someone?
Or has anyone ever tried to seduce you?
Have you ever been accused of having an affair?
Because all of these questions lead to a miserable existence. So this happened to Joseph, but the Lord was with Joseph while he was in prison. God gave Joseph a unique gift. It was the gift of interpreting dreams. Have your dreams ever been the truth in your life or someone else?s life?
With this God given ability, Joseph was able to help Pharaoh with disturbing dreams when no one else could. Joseph is called out of the prison to interpret Pharaoh?s dreams and counsels Pharaoh to prepare for the fulfillment of his dreams. Dream #1- Egypt will have 7 years of bountiful harvests. Dream #2- Egypt was have 7 years of famine.
Have you ever heard the dream of someone else and figured out its meaning? Has that completely changed the course of your life or the lives of other people? Well that happened for Joseph.
You see, God was in the midst of every detail of Joseph?s life. God is also in the midst of every detail of our lives and is accomplishing good things in our lower story. Through every trial, test and in every detail, God is with us. Sometimes we forget that. One of my biggest take aways from the story of Joseph, is that Joseph never stopped trusting in God. In every situation-betrayal, imprisonment, heartache, false accusations, prison again, and every trial in-between-he trusted God with his heart, mind, and soul, never wavering, but always trusting.
Through Joseph, God was at work at continuing to create the new nation. Provisions were made through Joseph?where God used Joseph to sustain the new nation, a nation that flourished in the land of Egypt. Joseph had 22 years of a hard life, but about 71 years of a blessed life.
?Remember Jennifer, the young woman in Randy?s church whose brother stole her college tuition? Randy first learned about Jennifer through a handwritten letter. That morning in worship, Randy preached about forgiveness. Right in the service, she forgave her brother. Not only that, she put the remaining $20 in the offering plate. She declared through this single act of giving the equivalent of the widow?s few cents that she was ?all in? and would trust God to accomplish his good plan for her life. Her letter was meant for nothing else than a word of encouragement for Randy. She only signed her first name on the sheet and it appeared on Randy?s desk Monday morning. Randy tried to find this young woman, but was unsuccessful. Her only motive was to share how one of his sermons had encouraged her to trust God completely, no matter the circumstances of her life.
The next Sunday at the early service, Randy read the letter to the congregation. Afterward a family came to the front of the church to see him. With tears in their eyes, they asked if they could talk to the woman in the letter. This family, along with two others, wanted to pay for Jennifer?s college tuition. Not just the first year, but all four! When Randy read the letter in the second service, Randy added, ?If the person who wrote this letter is here today, please come and see me.? A young woman timidly approached me immediately after the service. It was Jennifer. When I told her about the families generous offer, she wept uncontrollably?tears of disbelief and joy.
Jennifer finished college and nursing school in the top tier of her class. Today she is an oncology nurse, a loving wife, and a devoted mom. Her dream has come true, and she blessed many people with her gifts. Her lower story was all about betrayal, anger and disappointment, but when she came to a place where she could trust God in spite of her circumstances, she discovered that God is indeed trustworthy and has not forgotten or abandoned her (Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee pg. 47-48.?
All of us have experienced some sort of trial or test or betrayal. And for many of us, there have been moments in our lives where life just isn?t turning out like the way we envisioned it. Romans 8:28 says the following: ?And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.? Having faith in Jesus Christ is the first step. Aligning our lives with the purposes of God is the second step. Living your faith out is the third step. As Joseph aligned his life with God in full submission and trust, God worked through every detail and blessed Joseph, his family, and the new nation. Just imagine what God could do if we do that as we continue to live out being the church of Jesus Christ. Amen.