To God be ALL the glory!!!
Yes! An Assistant Professor of Surgery, to not having an active license. I have prayed ceaselessly night and day. Claimed biblical promises…
Claim biblical promises for God’s good fortune and favor…
You can claim God’s promises of good fortune and favor by aligning your heart with His Word, speaking His truths in faith, and living in obedience.
Key Scriptures for Favor and Provision:
Psalm 5:12: “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.”
Psalm 84:11: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Proverbs 3:9-10: Honor the Lord with your wealth, and He will fill your barns to overflowing.
After my accident in the coma, I saw myself starting a procedure and giving glory to God. Time (and date) were not displayed in the ‘vision’… But, thinking back nearly a decade 🤔 the actuality of the joy I felt now has reason and meaning!
I was led to the accounts of Job, Joseph and Esther among different bible verses! Right quick let’s very briefly walk through each account…
The Book of Job is a biblical story that explores why innocent people suffer and how God runs the universe.
The Setup and Tragedy
- A righteous man: Job is a wealthy, good, and blameless man who honors God.
- The heavenly challenge: In heaven, a figure called Satan (the accuser) tells God that Job is only faithful because God blesses him with wealth and protection.
- The test: Satan claims that if Job loses everything, he will curse God. God allows Satan to test Job, but forbids taking his life.
- Great loss: In one day, Job loses his livestock, his servants, and all ten of his children. He later develops painful sores over his body.
The Debate with Friends
- The silent mourning: Three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—come to comfort Job and sit in silence for seven days.
- False accusations: The friends argue that God always punishes the wicked and rewards the good immediately, insisting Job must have sinned to deserve such punishment.
- Job’s defense: Job maintains his innocence and honestly expresses his deep pain, grief, and confusion, at times accusing God of unfairness.
God’s Response and Restoration
- The whirlwind: God finally answers Job out of a storm.
- Human limits: Instead of explaining why Job suffered, God shows him the massive, complex design of the universe, reminding Job that human understanding is very small.
- Repentance and humility: Job humbles himself and repents for speaking without complete knowledge.
- Restoration: God rebukes Job’s friends for their wrong assumptions, and graciously restores Job’s health, wealth, and family, giving him twice what he had before.
We can truly see and begin to understand the occurrences in Job’s life! As we stated above, we will next ‘explore’ the life and existence of Joseph…
In The Bible Journey, Joseph’s jealous older brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery in Egypt for 20 shekels of silver.
Why the Brothers Hated Joseph
- The Favorite Son: Their father, Jacob, loved Joseph the most and gave him a special, colorful coat.
- The Dreams: Joseph had dreams that showed he would rule over his family, which made his brothers very angry.
The Plot and the Sale
- The Pit: The brothers saw Joseph coming toward them in the field and planned to kill him.
- Reuben’s Plan: The oldest brother, Reuben, told them not to kill Joseph. He wanted to save him later.
- Judah’s Idea: Judah told the brothers to sell Joseph to passing traders instead.
- The Sale: They sold Joseph to Ishmaelite and Midianite merchants for 20 pieces of silver.
What Happened Next
- Sold in Egypt: The traders took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh.
- The Cover-Up: The brothers tore Joseph’s special coat and put goat blood on it. They showed it to Jacob so he would think a wild animal killed Joseph.
So very much occurred after Joseph was sold into slavery. Key was God sent him! Yes, there were trials….we continue on the story/account of Joseph!
Sold into Slavery
- Out of jealousy, Joseph’s brothers threw him into an empty pit and sold him to passing Ishmaelite merchants for twenty pieces of silver.
- They dipped his special coat in goat blood and lied to Jacob, convincing him that a wild animal had killed Joseph.
- The merchants took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.
False Accusation and Imprisonment
- God blessed Joseph, and Potiphar placed him in charge of his entire household.
- Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, but he consistently refused her.
- Angry, she falsely accused him of assault, and Potiphar threw Joseph into the king’s prison.
Rise to Power in Egypt
- In prison, Joseph accurately interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s imprisoned cupbearer and baker.
- Two years later, Pharaoh had disturbing dreams that no one could explain.
- The cupbearer remembered Joseph, who was summoned to interpret them.
- Joseph explained that the dreams meant Egypt would have seven years of great harvest followed by seven years of severe famine.
- Impressed by his wisdom, Pharaoh made Joseph the vizier (governor), second-in-command over all of Egypt. Joseph successfully stored grain during the plentiful years to prepare for the famine.
Reconciliation with His Family
- The famine struck Canaan, forcing Joseph’s brothers to travel to Egypt to buy food.
- They did not recognize Joseph, but he recognized them.
- After testing their character and seeing their remorse for past actions, Joseph revealed his identity to them.
- Joseph forgave his brothers, stating that while they meant it for evil, God used it for good to save many lives.
- He brought Jacob and his entire family to live in the fertile land of Goshen in Egypt, preserving the lineage of Israel.
Time is key here! God Created ‘Time’; we should use it to His glory. We have been gifted ‘time.’
Time is a precious gift from God, and the Bible (His Word) encourages believers to use their days wisely and with purpose.
Key Biblical References on Time
- Psalm 90:12: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
This verse asks God to help us realize how short life is, so we can live carefully and make wise choices. - Ephesians 5:15–16: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
Paul tells believers to treat every day as a valuable opportunity to honor God. - Ecclesiastes 3:1: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
This passage reminds us that God controls the timeline of the universe and every event in our lives happens in His perfect timing. - Colossians 4:5: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”
Believers are urged to act wisely around others, treating daily interactions with care and purpose. - James 4:14: “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
James points out how fragile and brief human life is, reminding us to depend on God for each moment.