Pits of Our Souls, Purposes of God 4-30-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and my God, my Rock and my Refuge, my Father and my Friend, You are my All in All. … "So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured of him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams' " (Genesis 37:17-20). Did Joseph's brothers hate him or hate his dreams? Did they hate who he was or who he might become? Or did they just hate their own sense of insecurity and lack of significance, purpose, and destiny in their own lives that they were driven by jealousy, envy, and spite into self-righteous judgment and wrath. They throw Joseph into a pit because they were already stuck in their own -- the dark abyss of self-pity. Perhaps Joseph was not as wise and mature as he should have been in how he handled his dreams. Maybe he was a little too eager to share his hopes and plans and his sense of purpose, calling, gifting, and destiny. He may have been guilty of casting his pearls before swine, sharing the treasures of his heart with those who weren't ready to hear it and didn't know how to handle it. The penalty for dreaming your destiny should not be rejection and abandonment, but often it is in our broken, fallen world in such need of Your redemption and power to change our hearts and nature. As You teach in Your wisdom, "Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you" (Matthew 7:6). Enraged by jealousy they didn't even know they had, driven by deep insecurities they were blinded from seeing, they trampled Joseph's dreams and turned on a brother of their own family. Then they tried to hide their sin and bury their shame in a pit in the ground and a pit deep down in their souls. But You had others plans. You are the God "who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:3-5). You are the God who even works through the sinful choices of human beings made in free will, influenced by spirits of wickedness seeking to destroy and devour. There would come a day of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation, when tears of grief would be turned to tears of joy (Genesis 45:1-15). Joseph's dreams and destiny came true, and he was even able to see Your hand through all his hardships, causing great good to come out of such evil. With a heart of mercy and a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation that only You can give, Joseph chose by Your grace to come into agreement with the Spirit of his Redeemer instead of the spirit of the accuser: "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20). Lord, give me courage to dare to dream the destiny You have for me. Give me Your wisdom and let me grow in maturity of how to share it when I should, how I should, and to whom I should. Give me mercy for those who hurt me, misunderstand me, reject me or abandon me along the way. Give me faith to believe You will redeem me out of every pit of discouragement, disappointment, and despair to cause all things to work together for my good and Your glory in Your time and in Your way. And give me eyes to see the self-pity, insecurities, jealousies, and pride down in the deep pits of my own soul, so I can release them to You and let You fill them with the peace and love of Your Spirit. That's how You turn our tears of grief into tears of joy. That's how You redeem our lives from the pit and crown us with steadfast love and mercy to satisfy us with good as long as we live. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be preaching all three services at my home church in Lexington this Sunday, May 3rd, Centenary United Methodist Church at 2800 Tates Creek Rd, where we have our Messiah Ministries office as well ( www.CentenaryLex.com ). I pray it will be a time of healing and reconciliation for some deep hurts in our church family, as we choose by God's grace to let go of the pits of the past and move forward into our destiny, personally and a church. Please keep us in your prayers. Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502