Max Lucado, “You’ll Get Through This,” Lesson 8, (Chapter 7)

Psalm 37:23-24, NLT

“The Lord directs the steps of

the godly. He delights in every

detail of their lives. Though

they stumble, they will never

fall, for the Lord holds them

by the hand.”

Psalm 145:13b-14, NLT

“The Lord always keeps His

promises; He’s gracious in all

He does. The Lord helps the

fallen and lifts those bent

beneath their loads.”

Proverbs 24:15-16, NLT

“Don’t wait in ambush at the

home of the godly, and don’t

raid the house where the

godly live. The godly may trip

seven times, but they will get

up again. But one disaster is

enough to overthrow the

wicked.”

Job 5: 20 NLT

“He will save you from death

in time of famine, from the

power of the sword in time

of war.”

Genesis 41:9-10, NLT

“Finally, the king’s chief cup-

bearer spoke up. “Today I

have been reminded of my

failure,” he told Pharaoh.

“Some time ago, you were

angry with the chief baker and

me, and you imprisoned us in

the palace of the captain of

the guard.”

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Resilient – Among a number of positive attributes Joseph had, one that stands out is resilience. Joseph’s ability to recover himself and sustain his purpose after many trials, is a testament to his faith in God. Resilient describes the character of Joseph well. The word that has come to us in the English-speaking world, has its origin in Latin. The words resilieus and resilire, means ‘to recoil;” or, “to rebound.” In the devotional book, You’ll Get Through This, author Max Lucado comments: “Some people once knocked down never get up. They stay on the mat…Joseph staggered and recovered.” The Old Testament describes the life of the “godly” as being subject to situations that will cause us to stumble, or become set back. The Lord, the psalmist says, gives the godly resilience, for He will guide them (cf. Psalm 37:23-24, NLT). Relatedly, the persons of faith, are seen as being “raised up” when trouble affects them (cf. Psalm 145:13b-14, NLT).” An Old Testament word that’s often used to describe what we would call resilience, is the Hebrew term quwm (koom). The word means, “to lift up again;’ or, “to endure.” In the older English translations, the word was rendered, “raiseth,” or “to be raised.” The idea is to move in a direction despite opposing forces. Joseph was beset with many trials, but each one provided him with leverage to accomplish more. The scriptures warn us that we should never underestimate the ability of the godly to rebound (cf. Proverbs 24:15-16, NLT). Even in Job’s calamity, he was assured that God cares for, and will bring victory to, His children (cf. Job 5:20, NLT). Although Joseph was experiencing a difficult crisis, which had lasted nearly 13 years, God had worked out a plan for his future. Describing the resilience Joseph had through God’s divine plan, Max Lucado said this: “By God’s strength, he [Joseph] pulled himself to his feet and stood stronger than ever, in Pharaoh’s court.” God used two dreams that kept Pharaoh up most of the night, to bring Joseph to the attention of the king. The promise made to Joseph by the cupbearer about communicating his plight to Pharaoh two years earlier, was fulfilled at a most urgent time (cf. Genesis 41:9-10, NLT). What is delayed at one particular time, is on hold for a more urgent time God has ordained. God knew the specific time of Joseph’s change!

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Genesis 41:12-13, NLT

“There was a young Hebrew

man with us in the prison who

was a slave of the captain of

the guard. We told him our

dreams, and he told us what

each of our dreams meant.”

Genesis 41:14-16, NLT

“Pharaoh sent for Joseph at

once, and he was quickly

brought from the prison. After,

he shaved and changed his

clothes, he went in and stood

before Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh

said to Joseph, “I had a dream

last night, and no one here can

tell me what it means. But I

have heard that when you hear

about a dream you can inter-

pret it.” “It is beyond my

power to do this.” Joseph

replied. “But God can tell you

what it means and set you at

ease.”

Genesis 41:25-27, NLT

“Joseph responded, “Both of

Pharaoh’s dreams mean the

same thing. God is telling Phar-

oah in advance what He is

about to do. The seven healthy

cows and the seven healthy

heads of grain both represent

seven years of prosperity. The

seven thin, scrawny cows that

came up later and the seven

thin heads of grain, withered

by the east wind, represent

seven years of famine.”

Genesis 41:38-40, NLT

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,

“Since God has revealed the

meanings of the dreams to you,

clearly no one else is as intelli-

gent or wise as you are. You

will be in charge of my court,

and all my people will take

orders from you. Only I, sitting

on my throne, will have rank

higher than yours. Pharaoh

said to Joseph, “I hereby put

you in charge of the entire

land of Egypt.”

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Confident In God’s Plan– Like Joseph, we must pray to develop “confidence” in what God is doing on our behalf. We will not always understand the full details of God’s plan, but we should be assured that He is working things out on our behalf. Joseph did not seek audience with Pharaoh, he simply wanted the king to know about his plight. Joseph, was somehow confident that if Pharaoh knew about his struggle, his appeal might be heard. This was a bold thought, given the power and control Pharaoh had over Egypt. What interest would Pharaoh have in the plight of a Hebrew slave, whose family shepherded livestock (cf. Genesis 46:34, NLT). After waiting for two years, Joseph was mentioned to Pharaoh (cf. Genesis 41:12-13, NLT). We should notice God’s plan: Joseph wanted help from Pharaoh, so that he could be vindicated and set free from prison. God arranged things so that Pharaoh “needed Joseph’s help” in interpreting the two dreams that, as Max Lucado noted, “woke up, distracted, and befuddled him (cf. Genesis 41:25-27, NLT).” Joseph made it clear to Pharaoh, that the interpretation of the dreams was not his own, but God’s. Max Lucado observes that, “Four times in three verses Joseph made reference to God…” Because Joseph’s interpretation foretold of seven prosperous years of grain, followed by seven years of famine, Egypt could position itself to avoid devastation and death. Joseph’s interpretation was followed by wise counsel to Pharaoh, and his officials, about a plan to save the nation from catastrophe. As a result, Joseph was appointed second in command of Egypt (cf. Genesis 41:38-40, NLT). Max Lucado observes Joseph’s “bounce back” in this way: “[Pharaoh] turned the kingdom over to Joseph. By the end of the day the boy from Canaan was riding in a royal chariot, second only to Pharaoh in authority. What an unexpected rebound.” Our unswerving commitment to God and His plan for our lives will increase our confidence in Him! Perhaps Joseph felt like David would, many generations, later when he said: “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living (Psalm 27:14, NLT).”

_________________KEY IDEA __________________________

What We Believe

When circumstances knock us down, our unrelenting faith in God will cause us to bounce back.

1. Help delayed is not always a denial!

1. Your resilience and faith will take you forward and upward!