Jewels From The Word

When Joseph brought his father and brothers into Egypt during the time of famine, God had a purpose in it—to save their lives and their lineage, to make them a great nation. When the first Hebrew went into Egypt, Joseph, he was a slave but he rose to become the prime minister of Egypt.

Later Joseph wanted his father, Jacob, to join him there. God had told Abraham that his descendants would serve the Egyptians for 400 years, then He told Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, “Go to Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation. I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also surely bring you up again.”

400 years later, Moses was tending sheep in the wilderness, when he saw the burning bush. God told him, “I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters for I know their sorrows and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.” Exodus 3:7-8

Before they ever went down to Egypt, God had a plan to bring them out. He heard them when they cried out to God, but that was not the first time God knew about it. He knew what was going to happen and it was all a part of His master plan to make a great nation of Abraham’s descendants. He even knew how long it was going to take for them to grow to the number that He had planned.

God knows what you are going through. It has not taken God by surprise. It is all part of His plan, to make of you a great nation, a people of God like no other before. He knows how long it is going to take to bring all the pieces together, like a jigsaw puzzle, to reveal your destiny.

Don’t stop on the edge of a miracle; don’t give up too soon. God has a plan and a timetable. Keep crying out to God for deliverance.

At the right time, the opportune time, the kairos time, God will bring the grand plan together.

Are some of your relatives still hanging around Sodom? Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was. The Lord came to Abraham’s tent one day to visit and while Abraham entertained Him and three angels, the Lord told him that Sarah would have a son.

 Then as Abraham was seeing them on their way, the Lord said to the angels, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah?” With that the angels departed for Sodom and Gomorrah, but the Lord stayed to talk with Abraham.

 Abraham pleaded for the lives of the righteous people living there, and the Lord agreed He would spare the cities if He could find even ten righteous people. But sadly he could only find four—Lot, his wife, and his two daughters.

 Lot met the angels at the city gate and begged them to come to his home and spend the night. They asked Lot to get his family, daughters and sons-in-laws, any of his relatives, and bring them out of the city.

 But Lot lingered all night. When morning came, the two angels urged Lot to hurry, but while he lingered, they grabbed him, his wife, and two daughters and dragged them out of the city. When they got outside, the angels said, “Run for your lives and don’t look back.” Of course, you remember the part about Lot’s wife looking back and she became a pillar of salt.

 But think of this, Lot and his family were really only saved because Abraham prayed for their lives. In fact, even when they didn’t seem to want to leave, the angels forced them out of the path of destruction.

 Genesis 19:29 says,  “God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.”

 When you pray, God will deliver your relatives. He may even drag them out when they really don’t want to go.