Genesis 44:1-45:28, Matthew 14:14-36, Psalms 18:35-50, Proverbs 4:11-13
Today is the 22nd day of January. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today…like…I pushed record before I was really situated here…hang on…let me just…coffee to the left…and…just adjust…okay…so…we’re locked and loaded and ready to go. So, today we will be, obviously, picking up where we left off yesterday. We’re reading from the Common English Bible and we’re moving our way in the Old Testament through the story of Joseph and all of the drama that surrounded his really interesting life and how that carries the promise forward. Genesis chapter 44 and 45 today.
Commentary:
Okay. So, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers in today’s reading in a truly heartfelt scene, where tears are flowing and healing is just flooding into the situation. It’s really beautiful, but Joseph says some things that reveal his heart. So, we’ve watched this story, and it’s a story of hardship. Pretty sizable obstacles in a person’s life, to be human trafficked, to be a slave, to be thrown into a dungeon, to stay years in a dungeon, only to be whisked out of there and become second in command and in all of Egypt. So, it’s quite a pretty dramatic story. But in the story, we’ve watched Joseph cling to God in all of it, in spite of all of it. And we see what he’s thinking as he reveals himself to his brother. He tells them. Listen, don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves that you sold me here. Right? So, he’s offering forgiveness. And it’s such a huge exhale in this story. But then he reveals how we could even have that posture, what it is that he’s been clinging to. So, he tells them, don’t be mad at yourselves, that you did what you did. Actually, God sent me here. He sent me here to save lives. He sent me ahead of you so that you would survive this. And this invites us, as we’re going through seasons of testing and trial and wilderness experiences that feel very disconnected, we get the chance to observe ourselves, because usually in those times we get very, very self-absorbed and focused. It’s all about what we are going through in the moment and how we want God to get us out of it. But rarely do we go to God and believe that there’s something bigger going on, that we are on our way through something to somewhere else and it’s not purposeless. Joseph didn’t do that. He held on. He remembered the dreams that he had as a young man. So, even when he’s unjustly thrown into a dungeon and has to stay in prison for years, he stays rooted and connected to the fact that there is something bigger going on here. And it may have nothing to do with our current discomfort that we’re working so hard to get rid of. We may be going through something and we’re going to wind up somewhere else that will have dramatic impact on people that we love or people that we don’t even know. So, the story of Joseph invites us to kind of zoom out and get more of a bird’s eye view of what’s going on instead of this very narrow self-focused view. There is always more to the story. There is always more going on than we know. And the only way we will navigate that is in a first-person, first-hand conversational intimacy with God. And we see this in the life of Joseph.
Prayer:
Father, this reinterprets a lot of things because it’s true, when we find ourselves with challenges, we focus very, very much on those challenges and they are they are mostly connected to some kind of discomfort inside of us. And, so, we get really, really focused on those things and sometimes forget that there’s more going on. And we have gotten so self-focused that we’ve lost connection with You. And, so, it feels like we’re completely lost because we have no way of navigating on our own. And, so, once again, we re-center ourselves in You. You are our only hope. We cling to You and invite Your Holy Spirit to lead and guide us forward. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Community Prayer and Praise:
Hey everybody. This is Addicted to Christ or Pelham down in Birmingham Alabama. I’m calling…I’ve been calling a couple times here recently. I’m really struggling. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what’s going to happen to my family. I found…God blessed me with a new job with a great company but I’m making less than half of the money I was making before and I’m working twice as hard, doing stuff that I used to do in high school, and I know God’s in control and he will be there for a reason, there’s a reason for everything, but I’m struggling, and I don’t know how we’re going to pay our bills, I don’t know how we’re going pay rent, and power, and gas. We moved to Birmingham and we found a house and it was well within our means when my job with the pizza truck was going well, but I didn’t see what was coming, and the guy that, you know, he…the owner just closed it down without any warning, and I had to find a job, and I, thankfully, found one, but it’s not…on paper it’s not looking good I don’t know what to do. The Morris family needs prayer. My marriage is falling apart. I’m falling apart. I’m doing the best I can, but they’re killing me at this new job. It’s a salary position and am working way more than 40 hours a week. It’s just a constant…I’ve had one day off in almost three weeks now. Since Christmas I’ve had one full day off because everybody else keeps getting sick. And I just don’t know what to do. Please help. I’m calling for help. This is Pelham, the Morris family in Birmingham. I love you guys. Bye.
Hi DAB family. This is Bill from beautiful Bozeman Montana. It’s been a while since I’ve called. And I’ve been listening and praying for others. I’ve posted a few times on the…I’d say it’s maybe a couple times…you know…on the DAB Friends on Facebook. And we’re in a new year. I’ve started a new job, a new career, and it’s going well. You know, it’s a slow process, but I’m working for my father-in-law. And I’ve prayed for him for years, that the Lord would not let him leave this life without knowing Jesus as his Lord and Savior. So, I’m close friends with him. I respect him and love him and thank God for this opportunity. I think it’s a great opportunity. He’s going blind and as a business that he’s been running for years. And, so, I’m in the office and out the field, which I really like. So, prayers for that, prayer request for that. Also, we are in a temporary living situation and we’re trying to find a place to live. And we found a place but, man, rent is so high around this place. So, just pray God will work that out. There are other things that are going on, but God is good. I love you all. I love hearing you all speak and pray and share and all the new voices as well. I’m praying for you. God bless you, Brian and Jill. Thank you for what you do. Bye.
Hello, my name is Mary and I am a physician. And I’m calling with a prayer request of my own but also comment and a prayer for Vicki who lost her son. I want to let everybody know that the current way we say this in medicine, and I think it’s so important, is not that somebody took their life but that they died by suicide. Depression and loss of hope is actually not anyone’s fault. And, so, Vicki, I want you to know that your son didn’t take his own life. He died by suicide which is a horrible disease and something that we all need to prayer about in our society. My prayer request is for a patient of mine named Daniel, who is having a severely tough time. And his family and I are praying daily. And I ask the support of the community as well. Bless you all and thank you, so much, for this wonderful resource, for all of us who are seeking a better way. Thanks.
Hi Daily Audio Bible Family. It’s James, the teacher, ___ Redeemed Teacher from LA. I need you guys to…not just pray for me…but pray for some families. I just got an email tonight that another student…former student of mine of the last 12 months was gunned down last night and just died. This young man, 23, has a daughter and another one on the way, was married and was one of the sweetest kids I ever had the privilege of teaching. I can imagine who or why anyone would want him dead and I pray that you would pray for his wife and his children. But, even more, I’m realizing, that it seems like the last time I saw this guy was a blink of an eye ago. I got another email tonight __ a kid I used to know in fourth grade, came to my wedding, and graduating from high school this year. And I am feeling like time is moving faster and faster and I don’t know if I’m engage in all of it for the Kingdom. So, please pray for me that I’ll be engaged with Christ, engaged for the community, because time a short. Anyway, I love you guys. Thank you. Bye.
Hello Daily Audio Bible this is Dwayne from Wisconsin. All praise and glory to God. I just wanted to say to the young lady who called in and read a story or a prayer about thanking God for things that have yet taken place. That was great. Sorry you didn’t leave your name, but thank you that. That was great to hear, encouraging, appreciate that. I’m calling in for Kelly who is a first-time caller. She’s asking us to pray for deliverance and that she’s having some health issues with her digestive system. So, we want to lift her up to the Lord, that we thank, and pray that she’s a part of our family now. We want to welcome you Kelly, and we pray that the Lord will give you comfort and peace and take care of the digestive issue that you have. Calling in for Vicki, whose son tragically took his life back in December and left a five-year-old daughter behind. Vicki, we ask the Lord to give you peace and comfort in this time of hardship. We ask that He will give you peace and understanding and that you know that the Daily Audio Bible is here for you. We will continue to pray for you and we welcome you and we pray that you will get the comfort you need and the understanding that you need upon this tragedy. And we also want to lift up your friend Julie who has been diagnosed with cancer. We pray that the Lord will lay his healing hand upon you, that the doctors be of the knowledge and resources they need so they can treat Julie, to make her comfortable, and she resist cancer. I lift this all up in Jesus’ name. Amen. God, bless. Love you all.
Hello DAB family. This is Shawnee from Arizona. I haven’t called in for a while, but I am calling in now, urgently, seeing if you will stand with me in prayer. I have a prodigal son who has been prodigal for two…like…three years…a while. I’m calling because it’s an urgent time. Last night I went to the woman’s prayer meeting at my church and the woman pastor had a dream the night before that a family member who was living in sin causing chaos, his sin was going to be exposed and his cycle of sin that had been going on for quite some time was about to be broken, that the family member who has been wayward and lost was…everything was exposed. He, only he, was paying the cost of the consequences for his choices and his actions. And that the family, the person, who was silent and standing and praying during it, all of this, was not affected. And I finally had a chance to speak and be heard. And that dream was for me. I was the only one in the room who was bawling my eyes out. So, now is the time for breakthrough. God, I mean to speak to her and to speak to room full of women like that, and that is, that is for me. That breakthrough is coming. So, please stand with me and that this happens today, as urgently as possible. That other woman is upset at my husband, they’ve been fighting, and she hasn’t responded. He has, still, an appetite for chasing other women, he watches porn, he drinks and goes out a lot. It’s a mess, but God can breakthrough all of that and break the cycle…