Bible in 90, Day 4: Large and In Charge

Day 3: Genesis 40-50

*Image courtesy of hisks at www.sxc.hu

What a story huh?  My wife commented yesterday that it's interesting reading such large chunks of the Bible in one sitting because for the first time you see it as one story.  You make connections you might not have made before.  Yesterday, we left Joseph in prison, forgotten by the chief cupbearer of Pharaoh.  By the end of the our passage today, he rose to be essentially Prime Minister of Egypt, reunited and reconciled with his family, and dies a hero to his family and all Egypt!

It's amazing what God can and will do through the various events in the world and in our lives.  Isn't it amazing to know that God is on His heavenly throne?  He is Large and In Charge!  Even the evil schemings of men cannot escape His sovereign control.  

When I was 15, I got a phone call one day when I was getting ready for school that would change my life forever.  
My dad told me to pack my things and he would be in Richmond to pick me up that day.  My sister and I were going to live with him now, in Chesapeake.  For months I considered that day the worst day of my life.  I still consider it one of the most traumatic moments in my life, being uprooted with only nine weeks left of my sophomore year and moved to a place where I knew no one, all with no notice.  

As time passed, I grew into my new life.  I met a great girl, found a good church, and started making a home at my new school.  It was because I moved to Chesapeake and got involved at South Norfolk Baptist Church that I discovered I was (am!) a sinner in need of a Savior.  I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.  Later, I preached a sermon at SNBC, began following God's call to be a pastor, and eventually proposed to and married Keelie.  Almost everything I am today stems from that traumatic moment.

When Joseph's brothers threw him in that well all those years earlier, I'm sure that Joseph had no idea where he would end up.  I'm sure he thought he was doomed, that life was over.  When he was sold into slavery, what went through his mind?  I'm sure he never envisioned that this was the way that God would exalt him to prominence and fulfill the prophetic dream he'd had.  But God was on His throne!

Large and In Charge

God has a way of confounding the wisdom of men with plans that no earthly mind could conceive of.  No matter where we find ourselves in life, we can rest assured that, if we are following God's commands, we are not beyond His protection and plan.  If we follow after Him, and yet find ourselves in a desperate situation, we can rest in the peace that surpasses all understanding.  

I can't say that it's easy, or that it's not scary, but there is a freedom in this.  Over the years, I have been in many terrifying situations as a result of following God's leadership.  Never once has He let me down.  And each time, I've gained more and more confidence that no matter what, He is on the Throne.