Summary: Where is God during our dark times?
Key Passage/s:
Genesis 37:1-4
1Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2These are the generations of Jacob.Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.[a] 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
Genesis 41:39-41
39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.[a] Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you." 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
Genesis 45:5-8
5And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For 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. 7And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So 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.
Supporting Scripture/s:
John 14:16 - 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[a] to be with you forever
1 John 1:6 - 6-7If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.
Romans 8:28 - 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - 16So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Scriptural Principles:
1. God is with us in our dark valleys
The first lesson we all must learn is that God is with us in our dark times or valley experiences. You can be sure of that because throughout the scriptures He tells us that he will never leave us nor forsake us. In addition to that he has sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us when all seems lost (see John 14:16).
2. Walking in darkness doesn't mean walking through darkness
Before you start getting all bent out of shape think about what possibly could've done to put yourself in your current position. Too many people choose to live their lives outside of the will of God BUT when something bad happens they want to come back and ask God "LORD LORD WHY ME!? WHY ME?!" Yeah you know what I'm talking about! Poor circumstances happen to the best of us but poor behavior is a conscious choices we make that takes us out of the will of God and into the danger zone. So ask yourself...what am I doing wrong? Denial won't help. Get honest with yourself. I know I do! (see 1 John 1:6)
3. God has a purpose for our dark valleys
REMEMBER THIS! Trials always happen for a reason. Who would've thought Joseph being sold into slavery, betrayed by his own family would turn into something good? Good's not a good enough word! Miraculous is more like it. When you go through a trial you're being prepared for a significant opportunity that will make you laugh at what you went through! Romans 8:28 is a promise from God that everything will work out for our good. That's why when trouble comes I don't get upset I get excited. Then in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 we see that we shouldn't lose hope because troubles don't last always and what's happening now is only going to build us for eternity. Isn't that a blessing!
4. God prepares us through our dark valleys
God has a plan for our hardtimes, & a great part of that plan is to prepare you for better things. Just look at Joseph. Remember: God never forgets us; He simply prepares us. You may not be able to see the "big picture" but just trust God knows what's best for you. If you could see the outcome of the trial you'd be a lot more patient. God willl leave you in the valley as long as necessary for your preparation.
5. God teaches us more in the dark valley than in the light
Remember that in difficult times we make the greatest strides in the lessons that really couunt. Think of it like this. IF you're in an easy class where the teacher just gives out grades for showing up or writing your name WHAT DO YOU LEARN? Will you be prepared for your career when you get out? Of course not. The same goes for growing through trials. You don't learn much when everything is going good nor do you learn much w/o applying what you've learned. But the greatest lesson you will learn in your valley experience is to TRUST GOD & TO WAIT ON HIM. One day it'll all come together
6. God moves us toward the light while we're in the dark valleys
Pretty self explanatory right? Basically don't see yourself as stalled but realize you're growing closer to God through every trial so how can you be stagnant if you're moving in the right direction.
7.God wants us to share what we've learned in the darkness
If you know the story of Joseph, you know that in time he was enlightned to everything that God had planned for him. One day he was in a dungeon the next he was advising a Pharoah. Don't forget to share how you've come out to someone else to give them hope. You can invaluable wisdom through trials.
8. Our only rational choice is to submit to God & trust Him to care for us.
Conclusion:
Have you walked through any dark valleys lately? How did you respond? What did you say to God when you spoke to Him about it?
No doubt you're gonna face new trials after this one but you can rest assure that God will use it for your good.
Today your assignment is to share what you've learned through a trial or trials. Do you know someone currently going through a valley you've already come out of? Bless their lives with your testimony.
Key Passage/s:
Genesis 37:1-4
1Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2These are the generations of Jacob.Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.[a] 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
Genesis 41:39-41
39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.[a] Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you." 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
Genesis 45:5-8
5And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For 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. 7And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So 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.
Supporting Scripture/s:
John 14:16 - 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[a] to be with you forever
1 John 1:6 - 6-7If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.
Romans 8:28 - 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - 16So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Scriptural Principles:
1. God is with us in our dark valleys
The first lesson we all must learn is that God is with us in our dark times or valley experiences. You can be sure of that because throughout the scriptures He tells us that he will never leave us nor forsake us. In addition to that he has sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us when all seems lost (see John 14:16).
2. Walking in darkness doesn't mean walking through darkness
Before you start getting all bent out of shape think about what possibly could've done to put yourself in your current position. Too many people choose to live their lives outside of the will of God BUT when something bad happens they want to come back and ask God "LORD LORD WHY ME!? WHY ME?!" Yeah you know what I'm talking about! Poor circumstances happen to the best of us but poor behavior is a conscious choices we make that takes us out of the will of God and into the danger zone. So ask yourself...what am I doing wrong? Denial won't help. Get honest with yourself. I know I do! (see 1 John 1:6)
3. God has a purpose for our dark valleys
REMEMBER THIS! Trials always happen for a reason. Who would've thought Joseph being sold into slavery, betrayed by his own family would turn into something good? Good's not a good enough word! Miraculous is more like it. When you go through a trial you're being prepared for a significant opportunity that will make you laugh at what you went through! Romans 8:28 is a promise from God that everything will work out for our good. That's why when trouble comes I don't get upset I get excited. Then in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 we see that we shouldn't lose hope because troubles don't last always and what's happening now is only going to build us for eternity. Isn't that a blessing!
4. God prepares us through our dark valleys
God has a plan for our hardtimes, & a great part of that plan is to prepare you for better things. Just look at Joseph. Remember: God never forgets us; He simply prepares us. You may not be able to see the "big picture" but just trust God knows what's best for you. If you could see the outcome of the trial you'd be a lot more patient. God willl leave you in the valley as long as necessary for your preparation.
5. God teaches us more in the dark valley than in the light
Remember that in difficult times we make the greatest strides in the lessons that really couunt. Think of it like this. IF you're in an easy class where the teacher just gives out grades for showing up or writing your name WHAT DO YOU LEARN? Will you be prepared for your career when you get out? Of course not. The same goes for growing through trials. You don't learn much when everything is going good nor do you learn much w/o applying what you've learned. But the greatest lesson you will learn in your valley experience is to TRUST GOD & TO WAIT ON HIM. One day it'll all come together
6. God moves us toward the light while we're in the dark valleys
Pretty self explanatory right? Basically don't see yourself as stalled but realize you're growing closer to God through every trial so how can you be stagnant if you're moving in the right direction.
7.God wants us to share what we've learned in the darkness
If you know the story of Joseph, you know that in time he was enlightned to everything that God had planned for him. One day he was in a dungeon the next he was advising a Pharoah. Don't forget to share how you've come out to someone else to give them hope. You can invaluable wisdom through trials.
8. Our only rational choice is to submit to God & trust Him to care for us.
Conclusion:
Have you walked through any dark valleys lately? How did you respond? What did you say to God when you spoke to Him about it?
No doubt you're gonna face new trials after this one but you can rest assure that God will use it for your good.
Today your assignment is to share what you've learned through a trial or trials. Do you know someone currently going through a valley you've already come out of? Bless their lives with your testimony.
1 comments:
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