COLLISION- THE PLACE OF GOD
Genesis 50:19 Joseph
said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
Sometimes God has shown us a
future that has not yet come. We see it
in the distance but we have no ability to pull it into the present. Because God has shown it, we desire it which
is good!
Sometimes while waiting for a promise to
come to pass we can feel abandoned.
We long for the moment when
the prophecy becomes a fulfilled promise, when the future collides with the
present and what was once a distant promise becomes a present reality!
THE FEELING OF ABANDONMENT
- God has not abandoned you!
- He has not forgotten you!
- He has not tossed you to the side as unusable.
If you feel like you're on
the shelf it could be that God is processing you for a later date!
When he brings you off the shelf you'll
be a beautiful vessel, pleasant to the eyes and able to endure the tossing,
beating, chipping and using. You'll be
able to endure the wear and tear without cracking.
If you've ever looked at an
antique vessel, one way you can tell the authenticity is through the wear and
tear. If it looks too new, it's probably
a fake. At the very least it will have the signs on the bottom that reveal it
has been held it up for years! That's how the Holy Spirit is with us. He holds us up throughout all the years and
when we age, his work is seen in our lives!
YOUR DESTINY IS NEAR
Yesterday, on 11/08/2011, an asteroid
passed by the earth at 200,000 miles away.
That's close relatively
speaking! Some of nature may have felt the rumble! I'm sure the earth in some way felt the
rumble of the passing space object!
The rumbling would really
only indicate the close possibility of a collision but the actual collision
comes upon impact!
I'm sure anything in its path
felt the rumble!
Some of you are very close to a
prophetic fulfillment and you can feel the rumble.
When a prophecy arrives, it's no longer
a prophecy but you are living in prophecy fulfillment!
Some of us are already living
in prophecy fulfillment- if you think about it, the part of the process you are
in is prophecy fulfillment since each and every step you take is a necessary
step toward your future and an important one that brings you closer to
fulfillment!
Always remember your present
was once a future and when God promises a thing in the future, it will surely
come to pass! Every step you make you
are that much closer!
Some are close and for some, the thing you're waiting
for may be far away!
THERE'S A BLESSING IN THE PRESENT
Joseph went through 13 years
of processing. David also had promises
that required processing.
There are many stories
throughout the bible where destiny fulfillment took sometimes years and
required many experiences along the way- some full of pain and others full of
rejoicing!
It wasn't God on the way to Joseph! In fact God showed himself to be faithful and
a source of comfort along the way.
It was Joseph on the way to
an assignment God had shown him!
The places on the way are
necessary to get you where you're going!
Joseph couldn't be 2nd in
command over Egypt
The timing wasn't right. Everything had to line up- including the
position of the butler, the baker, the Pharaoh, and yes, Joseph!
Everything had to come together at the
right time- even the approaching 7 years of abundance and 7 years of famine had
to be right upon them for Pharaoh to have the dream at just the right time that
would be interpreted by a prisoner named Joseph!
Prior to this moment, Joseph lacked
wisdom and maturity and he may have even lacked knowledge.
To some degree he may have
even lacked character!
THE PLACE OF GOD!
At the end of Joseph's long
journey, he was able to say "I am in the place of God."
Through the process, he had
seen God along the way.
God wasn't in the future-
Joseph's destiny was!
God is I AM- God is in the
NOW
In each step God was teaching
Joseph something about himself
God's way of escape! (Thanks
to my pastor www.howardbass.com)
God's ever present help in the
time of trouble!
God's perfect timing!
God's provision!
Servant-hood & Leadership!
God's wisdom!
Faithfulness in management!
Each step of the way, God was
using Joseph as a chosen vessel to touch someone else.
- The brothers had to have pride and jealousy
crushed.
- Potipher was blessed above and beyond when Joseph
came on the scene!
- While Joseph was serving as a slave he was
bringing something with him that Potipher didn't have without Joseph.
- In prison he was a blessing to the prison-keeper,
foreknowledge for the baker who hopefully got ready to meet his maker when
Joseph prophetically told him what would happen!
- In prison he was a prophet for both the baker and the butler!
- He eventually came up out of prison to be a prophet and a blessing to Pharaoh!
- He also became a blessing for all of
- The dream he was given came to pass as he became ruler
over the very people that had sold him out.
- He became a
restoration to all of
- His destiny saved the lives of many, helped many
along the way and became a source of comfort and wisdom for us.
- Today the journey of Joseph is touching countless billions of people.
His journey was more than
just about him. His journey would
prophetically foreshadow the coming of Christ and teach all of Christ's
followers about their own processing.
How did his process help John
when he lived his final years in prison- where he had the greatest revelation?
Sometimes the greater riches are found
in the process!
When the Israelites had
abundance they didn't see the same wonders they saw in the desert wilderness- water from a rock, the parting of a sea, a huge
cloud in the sky, a pillar of fire by night, quail falling from the sky,
clothes and shoes not wearing out and even growing with them! Sometimes the greatest miracles are seen where the greatest need is. When we have it all, we rely on God less. It's when we find ourselves without that we fall on our knees and cry out! Oh how the children of Israel were blessed to see the hand of God yet they grumbled and complained!
At the end of the day Joseph
was able to say, "I am in the place of God!" Maybe you too can say, "I am in the place of God!"
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