(Gen 41:41-43) “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt... And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” When Joseph was introduced to us in chp.37, he was a young inexperienced 17 year old boy, and yet 13 years later God raised him up to rule the nation of Egypt. So, what made him different? The Answer: “Time,” and his faith in God! You see time is a wonderful teacher; 1) Time strengthens endurance. Endurance and faith can only be strengthened over time. Like exercise, we start out not able to do much but over time we find that we can do more. You see, God allows us to go through the ups and downs of life, to help us gain not only spiritual maturity, but also spiritual abilities. Spiritual endurance therefore enables us to handle life’s trials better. 2) Time strengthens patience. Although Joseph, consistently did right, God allowed much discouragement and disappointment, but in every situation, he learned to wait on God. Joseph learned over time that God was in control even in the bad times, working all things out for good. 3) Time strengthens our trust in God. The only way for God to bring us to the place of usefulness, is through the furnace of adversity. Like forging steel, unless God heats up our lives a bit, He cannot adequately apply the blow of faith’s hammer that uniquely shapes our trust in Him. Joseph is no different than any other child of God, as He built trust in him, He will build it in you
(Matt 6:11) “Give us this day our daily bread.” God desires that we communicate with Him about everything on a regular basis. Why, because He wants us to know that He is listening and that He has the power to answer our prayers at any time. In the Lord’s teachings on prayer in (Matt. 7), Jesus instructed his disciples to simply ask, and then to keep asking. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” In other words, ask God, and if you see nothing keep knocking on heaven’s door until He responds or shows you differently. Therefore, prayer is simply thanking God for the needs that he has promised to provide, but also asking Him for things that we cannot change. The above part of the Lord’s prayer is an expectation of thanksgiving for doing so. Jesus told us in (Matt. 6:33) not to worry about all our basic needs such as food, clothing, housing, and the like, for if we will just simply seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
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