September 10, 2025 • 41 mins
"God with us in Turbulent Times" sets us before the story of Joseph as a spiritual resource for the believing community for when life feels perplexing or uncertain. The journey of Joseph from favored son, to slave, to prisoner, to Egyptian leader, to the rescuer of a nation and the forgiver of his betrayers, reminds us that God's way of accomplishing His purpose is often slow and hidden. The repeated biblical phrase 'the Lord was with Joseph' becomes a centering reality for us even in the midst of difficult circumstances that try to convince us otherwise. And so, along with God's people across time and place, we return once again to anchor ourselves in God's sovereignty during turbulent times, believing in faith that "He's got the whole world is in His Hands."
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SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome to the Madison Church Square Campus
podcast.
We want to invite believers,seekers, and doubters to
encounter God's love through hisliving word.
This season, we delve into a newseries, Kingdom Living in
Turbulent Times, Stories ofResistance and Resilience.
When times feel uncertain andunsettled, God's promises remain
(00:23):
a resource to anchor us as wenavigate life's storms with a
kingdom perspective.
So settle in.
Open your heart and journeyalong with us to discover how
God calls us to trust in him andwalk out our faith.
My name is Pastor Andrea.
If you are a visitor with us,I'm so glad that you're here.
(00:45):
If you are a new member, I'm soglad that you're here.
If you're a longtime member andyou're just too tired to leave,
I'm glad that you're still here.
I'm just kidding.
Where are my college studentsat?
Anybody who just started collegein the last week or two?
All right, over here, over here.
(01:10):
Pretty fun that first week orso, and then it gets pretty
real.
So we are praying for you onceall the hoopla has died down and
it's time to get to work.
So we're praying for you.
It's a grind.
Well, we're beginning a newseries today that's going to
take us all the way from todayto Christ the King Sunday on
(01:31):
November 23rd.
It's called Kingdom Living inTurbulent Times, Stories of
Resistance and Resilience.
And our days do feel turbulent,don't they?
Perplexing, unsettling, whetherthat's just in your life
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personally or sort of culturallyamong us or spiritually or
nationally or globally orpolitically.
But this is nothing new.
This is not new.
The people of God have alwayswalked out their faith in such
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environments.
And I believe that God's word isa critical resource for us as we
attempt to remain steadfast,that is to hold on to Christ and
to be held by Christ in themidst of these disorienting
times.
Amen.
And so we'll journey throughScripture a little bit together
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over the next 12 weeks or so.
Six Old Testament texts.
I know I'm getting a reputationfor never leaving the Old
Testament, and now I'm livinginto that.
So we are going to be in the OldTestament for six weeks, and
then we will also go into theNew Testament with six New
Testament texts that I hope wewill all tuck deep into our
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spiritual satchels for thejourney That we will tuck them
away as resources to draw onwhen the instability around us
is threatening to destabilize usas well.
And rather than being terrorizedby it or paralyzed by it or
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desensitized to it, My hope isthat these stories, these
resources, would help us toremain fixed and firm and
anchored in the promises of God.
And so today we are beginning inGenesis with the story of Joseph
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and also a foundational doctrinefor times of trouble, the
sovereignty of God.
And I realized this week as Iwas prepping that I could
probably do a 10-week series onthe story of Joseph, and I could
do a 10-week series on thesovereignty of God.
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And some of you are sittingthere going, don't threaten me
with a good time.
And others of you, that would bequite the deterrent to say we're
going to have a 10-week serieson the sovereignty of God.
But My goal is today, at least,to use the story of Joseph and
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to use the doctrine of thesovereignty of God as a way of
anchoring us in who God is andhow God works, even when our
circumstances threaten todislodge our faith in turbulent
times.
So that's the goal.
That's the aim.
(04:47):
We're going to open up two shorttexts.
You know, obviously, it's a hugestory and And it covers many,
many chapters.
And so what I'm going to do ispurposely bookend it with a few
verses from chapter 37 and thena few verses from Genesis
chapter 50.
And we'll be filling that in aswe go.
And so would you rise in body orin spirit for the reading of
(05:10):
God's word?
We'll begin in Genesis chapter37 and we will read verses 12
through 19.
Now his brothers, so Joseph isthe favorite.
He's gotten this beautiful coat.
His brothers hate him.
(05:30):
Now his brothers had gone tograze their father's flock near
Shechem, and Israel said toJoseph, As you know, your
brothers are grazing the flocksnear Shechem.
Come, I'm going to send you tothem.
Very well, he replied.
And then he sent him off fromthe valley of Hebron.
(06:07):
When Joseph arrived at Shechem,a man found him wandering around
in the fields and asked him,what are you looking for?
And he replied, I'm looking formy brothers.
Can you tell me where they aregrazing their flocks?
They've moved on from here, theman answered.
I heard them say, let's go toDothan.
So Joseph went after hisbrothers and found them near
Dothan, but they saw him in thedistance, and before he reached
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them, they plotted to kill him.
Here comes the dreamer, theysaid to each other.
Come now, let's kill And throwhim into one of these cisterns
and say that a ferocious animaldevoured him.
Then we'll see what comes of hisdreams.
And then we'll flip over toGenesis chapter 50.
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A well-known passage, I'm sure,at the end of this story.
We'll read verses 15 through 21.
When Joseph's brothers saw thattheir father was dead, they
said, What if Joseph holds agrudge against us and pays us
back for all the wrongs we didto him?
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So they sent word to Joseph,saying, Your father left these
instructions before he died.
This is what you are to say toJoseph.
I ask you to forgive yourbrothers the sins and the wrongs
they committed in treating youso badly.
Now please forgive the sins ofthe servants of the God of your
father.
When their message came to him,Joseph wept.
(07:36):
His brothers then came and threwthemselves down before him.
We are your slaves, they said.
But Joseph said to them, do notbe afraid.
Am I in the place of God?
You intended to harm me, but Godintended it for good to
accomplish what is now beingdone, the saving of many lives.
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So then do not be afraid.
I will provide for you and yourchildren.
And he reassured them and spokekindly to them.
This is the word of the Lord.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, wedo need the Holy Spirit's help
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to discern what you would haveus take from this word.
Would you soften our hearts forthe seed of truth that you want
to plant there, that it mightbear good fruit in your kingdom?
I pray that what we don't knowyou would teach us, and what we
don't have you would give us,and what we are not you would
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make us.
Amen.
So some of you are more familiarwith this story than others, but
if you know the story at all,you know that Joseph is caught
up in a hopeless familytriangle.
The doting father, the jealousbrothers, and then himself, but
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probably alongside withBenjamin, the youngest, the
favorites in the family.
Maybe because Jacob loved theirmother, Rachel, the most.
And so I'm guessing they werespoiled in such a way that they
could get away with things thatthe other 10 brothers could
never get away with.
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If you know that story, you knowthat he gets this beautiful long
coat from his dad, an act offavoritism toward him that
pretty much seals his fate withhis brothers.
A coat like that was not just anice gift like, I love you, son.
Here's a coat.
A coat like that was a bump inyour status because a long coat
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would mean in that culture thatyou were management and not
labor.
So what Wearing that around puthim above his older brothers,
which in that culture you didnot do.
And to make matters even worse,Joseph was a dreamer, not a
worker.
And he starts telling hisbrothers, who already hate him.
(10:17):
about his dreams, where they arebowing down to him.
And so if it was even possible,they begin to hate him even
more.
So while they are off grazingflocks far from home, his father
says to him, see to the welfareof your brothers, go and see to
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the shalom of your brothers andbring word back to me.
And when they see him coming,they plot against him.
If it weren't for Reuben, themore merciful brother, they
would have killed him on thespot.
But instead, they strip the coatoff of him and they throw him
into a dry cistern.
And when Reuben is not payingattention, they sell him off to
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slave traders that are passingthrough.
A few pieces of silver.
Please take away this brotherthat we can't stand.
And so they bloody up his coatand rip it up and they fake his
death and they bring this sadreport back to their grieving
father.
This will put a stop to thatbowing down once and for all,
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they think.
And if you know that story, he'ssold to Potiphar in Egypt, a
high official in Egypt,actually.
And it doesn't take long,because the Lord is with him,
that he is elevated inPotiphar's house.
And now he's in charge ofeverything in the house.
And Genesis 39 says fourdifferent times, the Lord was
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with Joseph and the Lord waswith Joseph.
And Potiphar saw that the Lordwas with Joseph and the Lord was
with him.
And somehow, despite thatfourfold assurance, everything
still goes terribly wrong forhim.
(12:12):
Joseph is handsome, we're told,and Potiphar's wife is brazen.
No casual conversation, noflirting.
She cuts right to the chase.
Lie with me.
And she is in a position ofpower as Potiphar's wife.
She expects to be obeyed, butJoseph doesn't.
He stands up under thattemptation.
He stands up under her requestsagain and again.
(12:34):
He says, no, it is not right forme to do that.
until finally one day she tearsat his garment when he is
escaping her advance, and shebrings that garment, his clothes
keep getting him in trouble, shebrings that garment to Potiphar
and makes a false accusationagainst him of sexual violence,
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and it lands him in prison.
But Joseph, there in prison, Thetext tells us once again, the
Lord was with him.
And at this point, if you readthe story straight through, it
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is tempting to be like, was henow?
Really?
The Lord was with him?
Look where that got him.
You'd think that things would begoing a little better for
Joseph.
The Lord was indeed with him.
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But...
the Lord was with him.
And while he's there, he getsfavor with the guard and he gets
put in charge of people that arealso in prison.
And then Pharaoh's cup bearerand Pharaoh's baker both end up
in prison under his watch.
I don't know what went wrongwith the bread and the cup, but
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something has gone terriblywrong and they end up in prison
and they're under Joseph'swatch.
And they have these unsettlingdreams while they're in prison.
And with the help of God, Josephinterprets their And he
interprets them correctly.
And before the cupbearer isbrought back out of prison,
before he is called back toPharaoh's service, Joseph says
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to him, listen to me.
Listen.
UNKNOWN (14:27):
Listen.
SPEAKER_01 (14:28):
I was forcibly carried off from my homeland,
and I have done nothing todeserve being in this dungeon.
So when all goes well with youand you are restored, remember
me.
Remember me.
It's a great scene.
Remember me.
And he does not.
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The cupbearer does not rememberhim.
I'm sure that when he hears thatthe cupbearer was indeed
restored to his position withPharaoh, just like Joseph said
he would be, Joseph is probablyin prison counting down the
hours until he is out of thereat any moment.
(15:13):
That guy is going to drop a goodword on my name and I will be
free.
But those hours go by and nightfalls and then a day goes by and
a few days and then a week andthen a month and then a few
months and then a year and thentwo years.
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The text reports what Josephcould not have known at that
time, but which he was slowlyfinding out on his own.
Chapter 40 of Genesis ends withthis.
The chief cupbearer, however,did not remember Joseph.
He forgot him.
And so I imagine him sittingthere in prison over all this
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time.
carving yet another set of linesinto the wall.
Now going into that secondperplexing year after the
cupbearer was free,contemplating this downward
journey that his life has takenfrom being loved by his father
in his father's house, in hisown homeland, to being hated and
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betrayed and plotted against andenslaved and sold and falsely
accused and imprisoned and usedup and forgotten.
And he must have sat there andwondered.
I'm only guessing.
The text doesn't tell us.
But he must have sat there andwondered, where is God in all of
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this?
Where is he?
Where is God in all of this?
And that question...
Asked long enough or oftenenough will wear down a person.
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Some of you know that.
Some of you have been there.
Some of you have lived in or areliving right now in the same
tension that Joseph had to livein.
When you are trying to hold onto the goodness of God, and
you're trying to trust in theplan of God, and you're trying
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to maintain the belief that Godis with you, but the
realities...
The circumstances, the turbulenttimes around you keep trying to
knock that belief right out ofyour hands.
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Made me think of a video of afootball practice I saw this
week.
where the running back has torun through a line of people on
both sides and keep the ball intheir hands.
They're trying to hold on to it,but coaches and teammates are
standing on both sides of thatline with these huge padded
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mallets or whatever they are,and They are just pounding at
this guy's hands to see if hewill drop the ball.
As the runner goes by them,they're trying to smash it out
of his grip.
And I saw that video and I wasjust thinking, like, there we
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are, trying to hold on to faithand hold on to the promises of
God and hold on to the beliefthat God is good enough.
And that God is sovereign andthat God is in control.
And this life over and over willseemingly put you right down
that gauntlet and try to smashthat belief right out of your
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hands.
No wonder these thingsdestabilize our faith in the
meantime.
You keep finding yourself in themidst of or on the receiving end
of terrible circumstances.
Terrible, terriblecircumstances.
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Crushing losses.
Devastating suffering,discouraging disappointments,
perplexing difficulties, longdelays of unanswered prayer,
seemingly.
God's timetable can be so slowand his way so hidden.
There we are, trying to hold onto the ball.
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But it is in this very tension,it is in that incongruity that
we have to practice our faith.
That's it.
That is the tension where wecling to the assurance that
scripture gives us that nothingfalls outside of God's control
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and that God is the ultimateauthority over all things from
the grand cosmos to the tiniestdetails of your life and that he
is working out his purposes evenwhen we can't see it, even when
we can't feel it, even when wedon't know it, even when we
don't believe it, that he He'sworking and he's working and
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he's working out his purposes.
Even when our circumstances keeptrying to convince us of a much
less hopeful arrangement.
And I would love to tell youthat there is an easier
environment in which to trustand follow God.
A simpler one with less tension.
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One that is more clearly laidout.
One with way fewer problems.
And I can't tell you thatbecause that is not true.
Because until Jesus comes back,this tension is the only
landscape in which we followChrist until our faith is made
sight.
And one day our faith will bemade sight.
But right now, we are looking asthough through a glass darkly.
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We cannot see the way of God.
Joseph is 17 when he's sold intoslavery, and he doesn't get out
of prison until he's 30.
Had he been listening to hiscircumstances for all of his
information, they would havetold him, you've been forgotten.
You've been forgotten.
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But he was not forgotten.
Not by God.
He was forgotten by thecupbearer for a time, but not
forgotten by God.
Even when he couldn't see it,even when he couldn't feel it,
the way maker that we sang abouttoday was working.
The Lord was with him.
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That's what the text keepstelling us over and over and
over.
The Lord was with him.
That is the decisive claim ofthis entire narrative.
Not everything will work out inthe end.
That's actually not the claimthat this narrative makes.
Or not, the key actor willalways be saved from trouble.
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He's not.
Bad things keep happening tohim.
The decisive claim is that theLord was with him and that the
hidden and life-giving power ofGod is at work even when we
can't discern it and even whenwe can't see it and even when
there is evidence to theopposite of that for us.
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Joseph is brought out of prisonto interpret the dreams of
Pharaoh.
And Pharaoh is so amazed, heputs him in charge of all the
land and all the food, second incommand, vice Pharaoh.
And he gets a new name and a newwardrobe and a new status and a
new wife and he has some kidsand he gets busy stacking and
storing away all the food inEgypt to prepare for the famine
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that he said is coming based onPharaoh's dream.
And when that famine hits, whichit does, It hits hard.
Nobody has any food left exceptfor Egypt because Joseph has
been squirreling it away instorage.
And sure enough, famine hitsCanaan.
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And his family in Canaan hearsthat there is food in Egypt.
And so in order to survive, inorder to live and not die, they
go to Egypt, they make the trip,and they show up before Joseph,
the brother that they hadbetrayed, the brother that they
had gotten rid of and thoughtthey were done with.
And they stand before his throneand they beg for bread.
(24:14):
Now, the narrative goes back andforth a little bit because
Joseph recognizes them rightaway, but they don't recognize
him at all.
And so it does go back and fortha bit, but long story short, for
today's sake, Joseph shows mercyto them.
And he says, I am Joseph.
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He doesn't use his new name.
He uses his family name.
I am Joseph.
And that dream from way back,that dream that God had given
him from so long ago, finallycomes true.
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And these brothers do indeed bowdown low before Joseph.
Forgive us, they say, we areyour slaves.
The purpose of God announcedvery early on in this story
through Jacob's words to Josephis finally fulfilled.
See to the welfare of yourbrothers, he had said.
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Go and see about the shalom ofyour brothers.
And here he is in God's plan, inGod's timing, both because of
and despite all that hadhappened and had happened
against him and had happenedaround him.
Here he is doing exactly that.
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seeing to the welfare of hisbrothers, but not just these
brothers, but on an even granderscale, seeing to the welfare of
a nation, seeing to the welfareof nations, preserving a remnant
of God's people who would havebeen wiped out due to this
famine, but for Joseph, but forGod.
And then that is where we arriveat just the highest peak of this
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story and maybe of any story inall of the Old Testament as his
brothers do finally bow down lowbefore him expecting retribution
and punishment because of theirsin.
Joseph says to them, do not beafraid.
You meant this for evil, but Godplanned it for good.
You intended to harm me, but Godintended it for good to
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accomplish what is now beingdone, the saving of many lives.
And we say, oh, amen.
Hallelujah.
I love that for you, Joseph.
We love that for them, don't we?
We love that for them, but...
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I would guess we all know thatit is not as easy to apply that
testimony to our own troubledlives.
Think of the people thecircumstances that have harmed
you I'm not quite sure I'm readyto echo Joseph in this
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testimony, and I'm not actuallyasking you in any way to be more
like Joseph and echo histestimony.
And I would also, here's apastoral care pro tip, I would
not recommend telling someoneelse that God is going to use
their suffering for good.
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What I'm asking you to consideras we sit before this story is
the mystery on which this wholestory holds together the
sovereignty of God.
The sovereignty of God is boththe most comforting doctrine in
the Christian faith and at thesame time, it's the most
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difficult.
How is that even possible?
The most comforting doctrine,because it affirms that
absolutely nothing is outside ofGod's control, that even in
suffering, God is not absent,that his wisdom and goodness are
not compromised as he works outhis purposes, even in the midst
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of sin.
So that's comforting, but it isa doozy.
It is difficult because it is anequation that we cannot solve
for.
It's an equation we cannot solvefor.
If God is sovereign and he's incontrol and he's good, then what
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is going on?
I'm really asking that.
What is going on?
But we can't solve for thatequation, can we?
What about suffering?
What about injustice?
Why do our prayers seemingly gounanswered?
Why do tragedies strike withoutany explanation?
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Is God good but not in control?
Or is he in control but he's notgood?
And I think the Joseph storyactually invites us into the
tension of this mystery withoutgiving us flat answers.
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Where God's purposes are atwork, but often they're hidden
and slow and somewhat uncleareven to the people that are a
part of that and living thatout.
And I'm reading this story and Iwant God to intervene.
I want some kind of abruptaction in here.
Like someone pulled Joseph outof that cistern.
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Someone put that coat back onhim.
Someone exposed Potiphar's wifefor her lie.
How about a jailbreak from thatprison?
Just like we see in Acts 16.
I want to be like, sing a hymn,Joseph.
See if it works.
I don't know.
Maybe the bars will open up andyou'll walk out free.
It is a good thing that God isGod and I am not.
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Because if I get my way, Josephwould have been in no position
to save his people.
God was at work in God's way andin God's timing to accomplish
God's purposes.
And that same God, this is all Ihave for you today, that same
God is still working in this wayamong us.
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That same God is with us.
He's with you in your struggle.
He's with you in your grief.
He's with you in your illness.
He's with you in your prisoncell, either literally or
whatever form that incarcerationmay take in your life.
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He's with you in yourdisappointments and he's with
you in your sufferings and yourchallenges.
And I know it is tempting topush back against the doctrine
of the sovereignty of God.
It is so tempting to just let goof it all together because of
that equation that we can'tsolve for.
Is God good?
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Is he in control?
If he's in control, is he notgood?
If he's good, is he not incontrol?
Where is God in all this?
It's tempting to simply pushback.
But I'm asking you, what is thealternative?
What's the alternative to thesovereignty of God?
Going through life thinking thatjust everything is random?
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That everything just happens bychance?
Believing that even God'spurposes are just derailed by
human sin and by human action?
Believing that any of it is alllike up to us alone?
or believing that he doesn'treally have the whole world in
his hands.
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That will not stabilize you oryour faith in turbulent times.
No, I don't really think Godreally has the whole world in
his hands.
That is not a resource tostabilize us in turbulent times.
But to believe it, to believethat God has the whole world in
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his hands requires faith andtrust and humility and surrender
because we have to just simplyadmit that we can't always trace
God's plan or understand hisways of working it out or see
what his times is as opposed toour timeline.
It takes the kind of faith thatsings, great is your
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faithfulness.
I'm still in your hands and thisis my confidence.
This is my confidence.
that you are with me.
My confidence is not in anyhuman.
It's not in any politicalmovement or politician.
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It's not in my own ability oryour ability.
It's not in my health.
It's not in my own hands.
All of these things can be tornaway from you.
All of these things are on theirway out.
There's only one thing thatstands, and that is the word of
the Lord, which stands forever,forever.
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While going through stage fourcolon cancer, some of you know
Kate Bowler from Duke Divinity,a professor at Duke Divinity.
And she wrote a book calledEverything Happens for a Reason
and Other Lies I've Loved.
And she neither props up Romans8.28 as the only way of thinking
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about everything, nor does shedismiss it.
She wrestles with it.
She wrestles with Romans 8.28,which I would imagine any of you
in this room who've ever readRomans 8.28, you've wrestled
with it too, because it goeslike this.
And we know that in all things,in all things, in all things,
(34:25):
God works for the good of thosewho love him and have been
called according to his purpose.
And I would love to make anedit.
We know that in some things, weknow that in most things, God
(34:47):
works for the good of those wholove him, who have been called
according to his purpose.
And she wrestles with this versethroughout her book.
And she writes, But the worldloves a tight ending, a formula,
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a guarantee, a reason for allthis.
And she says, but I'm not sosure that that's what God offers
us.
God doesn't will the brokennessof our lives.
What God offers is a promise tobe with us in the midst of those
broken lives until Jesus comesback and makes all things new.
(35:35):
And so with all the terriblethings that happened to Joseph,
we come back to that affirmationthat you hear throughout his
story.
And God was with him.
The Lord was with Joseph.
The Lord was with Joseph.
The Lord was with Joseph.
And the Lord is with us.
Of course, Joseph points us toJesus, who is with us, a new and
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better Joseph.
You shall call him Jesus, theangel told Mary's fiancee, yet
another Joseph.
Don't get confused.
Another Joseph.
You shall call him Jesus, for hewill be the savior of his
people.
because Jesus was also a belovedson by the Father.
Sent by the Father to go and seeabout the welfare of his family,
(36:20):
the shalom of his brothers andsisters, God's purpose now
growing far beyond just onefamily or one nation, but to the
whole world, the entire cosmos,the whole world is in God's
hands.
And the Father says to his son,go and see about the well-being
of your brothers and sisters.
Go and see to the shalom of thewhole world.
(36:42):
world.
And like Joseph, when Jesus didthat, he was rejected.
He came to his own, and they didnot receive him.
He was plotted against,betrayed, sold for silver,
falsely accused, punished,though he did not deserve it.
(37:03):
And yet it is through what hesuffered that he saved many.
I can't figure out the equation,but it's what scripture tells us
is true.
It is through his suffering,through his affliction that we
have been made whole and that wehave been reconciled to God.
In this way, God's purposes werefulfilled and I would not have
(37:25):
chosen And to everyone who puthim on that cross, Jesus could
have said the same thing asJoseph.
You intend this for evil.
(37:48):
You intend it for evil, but Godintends this for good, to
accomplish what is now beingdone in this death and
resurrection, the saving of manylives, including ours.
Amen?
And so Jesus is the word madeflesh, the affirmation of
(38:09):
Genesis 39 in human form.
The Lord was with him and theLord is with us.
God with us, Emmanuel.
And the ultimate hope to whichwe then cling in these turbulent
times is exactly that, that Godis with us.
That is the anchor to which wemust hold even when everything
(38:32):
is going sideways and we can'tunderstand what is happening to
us And we don't know where Godis in all this because it's a
mystery.
We anchor ourselves in the truththat in Jesus, God is with us,
not maybe, but surely.
And not just back then, but evennow and into the future.
(38:55):
Surely, Jesus said, I am withyou always to the very end of
the age.
Amen.
Let's pray together.
Father, we come before you in aword like this.
And I know for me it stops meshort because I can't solve for
(39:17):
the equation.
And yet, even though I can't seeevery angle of it perfectly, I
give you thanks for yoursovereignty over our lives and
our world.
I give you thanks that the wholeworld is indeed in your hands.
So I pray that you would notonly fill us with this meal to
(39:41):
nourish and sustain us, but tofill us with the power of the
Holy Spirit.
Because we do not just sit backand let God God's sovereignty
sort of run its coursepassively.
We want to be workers in yourvineyard.
We want to be those who live inthat tension, not in a place of
despair, but in a place ofvocation, that we would take up
(40:04):
our priesthood of all believers,even then, that we would work
for the shalom of our brothersand our sisters, that we would
see to the shalom of ourbrothers and our sisters, just
as Jesus did.
And so we too follow him in thatvocation.
And I pray for the places whereit simply does not seem to line
(40:27):
up your promises and ourcircumstances.
God, give us grace for theunknowing.
Give us grace for the mystery.
Jesus Christ, remain our anchorto whom we cling fast in
turbulent times.
In Jesus' name we pray.
SPEAKER_00 (40:45):
Thank you for joining us on Madison's We hope
today's message inspired you.
Don't miss next week's episodeas we continue exploring the
series, Kingdom Living inTurbulent Times.
Together, let's uncover how tolive faithfully amidst life's
(41:07):
challenges.
Until then, stay grounded and beblessed.
Welcome to the Madison Church Square Campus
podcast.
We want to invite believers,seekers, and doubters to
encounter God's love through hisliving word.
This season, we delve into a newseries, Kingdom Living in
Turbulent Times, Stories ofResistance and Resilience.
When times feel uncertain andunsettled, God's promises remain
(00:23):
a resource to anchor us as wenavigate life's storms with a
kingdom perspective.
So settle in.
Open your heart and journeyalong with us to discover how
God calls us to trust in him andwalk out our faith.
My name is Pastor Andrea.
If you are a visitor with us,I'm so glad that you're here.
(00:45):
If you are a new member, I'm soglad that you're here.
If you're a longtime member andyou're just too tired to leave,
I'm glad that you're still here.
I'm just kidding.
Where are my college studentsat?
Anybody who just started collegein the last week or two?
All right, over here, over here.
(01:10):
Pretty fun that first week orso, and then it gets pretty
real.
So we are praying for you onceall the hoopla has died down and
it's time to get to work.
So we're praying for you.
It's a grind.
Well, we're beginning a newseries today that's going to
take us all the way from todayto Christ the King Sunday on
(01:31):
November 23rd.
It's called Kingdom Living inTurbulent Times, Stories of
Resistance and Resilience.
And our days do feel turbulent,don't they?
Perplexing, unsettling, whetherthat's just in your life
(01:54):
personally or sort of culturallyamong us or spiritually or
nationally or globally orpolitically.
But this is nothing new.
This is not new.
The people of God have alwayswalked out their faith in such
(02:15):
environments.
And I believe that God's word isa critical resource for us as we
attempt to remain steadfast,that is to hold on to Christ and
to be held by Christ in themidst of these disorienting
times.
Amen.
And so we'll journey throughScripture a little bit together
(02:38):
over the next 12 weeks or so.
Six Old Testament texts.
I know I'm getting a reputationfor never leaving the Old
Testament, and now I'm livinginto that.
So we are going to be in the OldTestament for six weeks, and
then we will also go into theNew Testament with six New
Testament texts that I hope wewill all tuck deep into our
(03:02):
spiritual satchels for thejourney That we will tuck them
away as resources to draw onwhen the instability around us
is threatening to destabilize usas well.
And rather than being terrorizedby it or paralyzed by it or
(03:25):
desensitized to it, My hope isthat these stories, these
resources, would help us toremain fixed and firm and
anchored in the promises of God.
And so today we are beginning inGenesis with the story of Joseph
(03:45):
and also a foundational doctrinefor times of trouble, the
sovereignty of God.
And I realized this week as Iwas prepping that I could
probably do a 10-week series onthe story of Joseph, and I could
do a 10-week series on thesovereignty of God.
(04:06):
And some of you are sittingthere going, don't threaten me
with a good time.
And others of you, that would bequite the deterrent to say we're
going to have a 10-week serieson the sovereignty of God.
But My goal is today, at least,to use the story of Joseph and
(04:27):
to use the doctrine of thesovereignty of God as a way of
anchoring us in who God is andhow God works, even when our
circumstances threaten todislodge our faith in turbulent
times.
So that's the goal.
That's the aim.
(04:47):
We're going to open up two shorttexts.
You know, obviously, it's a hugestory and And it covers many,
many chapters.
And so what I'm going to do ispurposely bookend it with a few
verses from chapter 37 and thena few verses from Genesis
chapter 50.
And we'll be filling that in aswe go.
And so would you rise in body orin spirit for the reading of
(05:10):
God's word?
We'll begin in Genesis chapter37 and we will read verses 12
through 19.
Now his brothers, so Joseph isthe favorite.
He's gotten this beautiful coat.
His brothers hate him.
(05:30):
Now his brothers had gone tograze their father's flock near
Shechem, and Israel said toJoseph, As you know, your
brothers are grazing the flocksnear Shechem.
Come, I'm going to send you tothem.
Very well, he replied.
And then he sent him off fromthe valley of Hebron.
(06:07):
When Joseph arrived at Shechem,a man found him wandering around
in the fields and asked him,what are you looking for?
And he replied, I'm looking formy brothers.
Can you tell me where they aregrazing their flocks?
They've moved on from here, theman answered.
I heard them say, let's go toDothan.
So Joseph went after hisbrothers and found them near
Dothan, but they saw him in thedistance, and before he reached
(06:30):
them, they plotted to kill him.
Here comes the dreamer, theysaid to each other.
Come now, let's kill And throwhim into one of these cisterns
and say that a ferocious animaldevoured him.
Then we'll see what comes of hisdreams.
And then we'll flip over toGenesis chapter 50.
(06:53):
A well-known passage, I'm sure,at the end of this story.
We'll read verses 15 through 21.
When Joseph's brothers saw thattheir father was dead, they
said, What if Joseph holds agrudge against us and pays us
back for all the wrongs we didto him?
(07:14):
So they sent word to Joseph,saying, Your father left these
instructions before he died.
This is what you are to say toJoseph.
I ask you to forgive yourbrothers the sins and the wrongs
they committed in treating youso badly.
Now please forgive the sins ofthe servants of the God of your
father.
When their message came to him,Joseph wept.
(07:36):
His brothers then came and threwthemselves down before him.
We are your slaves, they said.
But Joseph said to them, do notbe afraid.
Am I in the place of God?
You intended to harm me, but Godintended it for good to
accomplish what is now beingdone, the saving of many lives.
(08:00):
So then do not be afraid.
I will provide for you and yourchildren.
And he reassured them and spokekindly to them.
This is the word of the Lord.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, wedo need the Holy Spirit's help
(08:23):
to discern what you would haveus take from this word.
Would you soften our hearts forthe seed of truth that you want
to plant there, that it mightbear good fruit in your kingdom?
I pray that what we don't knowyou would teach us, and what we
don't have you would give us,and what we are not you would
(08:45):
make us.
Amen.
So some of you are more familiarwith this story than others, but
if you know the story at all,you know that Joseph is caught
up in a hopeless familytriangle.
The doting father, the jealousbrothers, and then himself, but
(09:08):
probably alongside withBenjamin, the youngest, the
favorites in the family.
Maybe because Jacob loved theirmother, Rachel, the most.
And so I'm guessing they werespoiled in such a way that they
could get away with things thatthe other 10 brothers could
never get away with.
(09:29):
If you know that story, you knowthat he gets this beautiful long
coat from his dad, an act offavoritism toward him that
pretty much seals his fate withhis brothers.
A coat like that was not just anice gift like, I love you, son.
Here's a coat.
A coat like that was a bump inyour status because a long coat
(09:52):
would mean in that culture thatyou were management and not
labor.
So what Wearing that around puthim above his older brothers,
which in that culture you didnot do.
And to make matters even worse,Joseph was a dreamer, not a
worker.
And he starts telling hisbrothers, who already hate him.
(10:17):
about his dreams, where they arebowing down to him.
And so if it was even possible,they begin to hate him even
more.
So while they are off grazingflocks far from home, his father
says to him, see to the welfareof your brothers, go and see to
(10:38):
the shalom of your brothers andbring word back to me.
And when they see him coming,they plot against him.
If it weren't for Reuben, themore merciful brother, they
would have killed him on thespot.
But instead, they strip the coatoff of him and they throw him
into a dry cistern.
And when Reuben is not payingattention, they sell him off to
(11:01):
slave traders that are passingthrough.
A few pieces of silver.
Please take away this brotherthat we can't stand.
And so they bloody up his coatand rip it up and they fake his
death and they bring this sadreport back to their grieving
father.
This will put a stop to thatbowing down once and for all,
(11:26):
they think.
And if you know that story, he'ssold to Potiphar in Egypt, a
high official in Egypt,actually.
And it doesn't take long,because the Lord is with him,
that he is elevated inPotiphar's house.
And now he's in charge ofeverything in the house.
And Genesis 39 says fourdifferent times, the Lord was
(11:50):
with Joseph and the Lord waswith Joseph.
And Potiphar saw that the Lordwas with Joseph and the Lord was
with him.
And somehow, despite thatfourfold assurance, everything
still goes terribly wrong forhim.
(12:12):
Joseph is handsome, we're told,and Potiphar's wife is brazen.
No casual conversation, noflirting.
She cuts right to the chase.
Lie with me.
And she is in a position ofpower as Potiphar's wife.
She expects to be obeyed, butJoseph doesn't.
He stands up under thattemptation.
He stands up under her requestsagain and again.
(12:34):
He says, no, it is not right forme to do that.
until finally one day she tearsat his garment when he is
escaping her advance, and shebrings that garment, his clothes
keep getting him in trouble, shebrings that garment to Potiphar
and makes a false accusationagainst him of sexual violence,
(12:56):
and it lands him in prison.
But Joseph, there in prison, Thetext tells us once again, the
Lord was with him.
And at this point, if you readthe story straight through, it
(13:17):
is tempting to be like, was henow?
Really?
The Lord was with him?
Look where that got him.
You'd think that things would begoing a little better for
Joseph.
The Lord was indeed with him.
(13:39):
But...
the Lord was with him.
And while he's there, he getsfavor with the guard and he gets
put in charge of people that arealso in prison.
And then Pharaoh's cup bearerand Pharaoh's baker both end up
in prison under his watch.
I don't know what went wrongwith the bread and the cup, but
(14:01):
something has gone terriblywrong and they end up in prison
and they're under Joseph'swatch.
And they have these unsettlingdreams while they're in prison.
And with the help of God, Josephinterprets their And he
interprets them correctly.
And before the cupbearer isbrought back out of prison,
before he is called back toPharaoh's service, Joseph says
(14:23):
to him, listen to me.
Listen.
UNKNOWN (14:27):
Listen.
SPEAKER_01 (14:28):
I was forcibly carried off from my homeland,
and I have done nothing todeserve being in this dungeon.
So when all goes well with youand you are restored, remember
me.
Remember me.
It's a great scene.
Remember me.
And he does not.
(14:52):
The cupbearer does not rememberhim.
I'm sure that when he hears thatthe cupbearer was indeed
restored to his position withPharaoh, just like Joseph said
he would be, Joseph is probablyin prison counting down the
hours until he is out of thereat any moment.
(15:13):
That guy is going to drop a goodword on my name and I will be
free.
But those hours go by and nightfalls and then a day goes by and
a few days and then a week andthen a month and then a few
months and then a year and thentwo years.
(15:34):
The text reports what Josephcould not have known at that
time, but which he was slowlyfinding out on his own.
Chapter 40 of Genesis ends withthis.
The chief cupbearer, however,did not remember Joseph.
He forgot him.
And so I imagine him sittingthere in prison over all this
(16:00):
time.
carving yet another set of linesinto the wall.
Now going into that secondperplexing year after the
cupbearer was free,contemplating this downward
journey that his life has takenfrom being loved by his father
in his father's house, in hisown homeland, to being hated and
(16:24):
betrayed and plotted against andenslaved and sold and falsely
accused and imprisoned and usedup and forgotten.
And he must have sat there andwondered.
I'm only guessing.
The text doesn't tell us.
But he must have sat there andwondered, where is God in all of
(16:49):
this?
Where is he?
Where is God in all of this?
And that question...
Asked long enough or oftenenough will wear down a person.
(17:15):
Some of you know that.
Some of you have been there.
Some of you have lived in or areliving right now in the same
tension that Joseph had to livein.
When you are trying to hold onto the goodness of God, and
you're trying to trust in theplan of God, and you're trying
(17:39):
to maintain the belief that Godis with you, but the
realities...
The circumstances, the turbulenttimes around you keep trying to
knock that belief right out ofyour hands.
(18:01):
Made me think of a video of afootball practice I saw this
week.
where the running back has torun through a line of people on
both sides and keep the ball intheir hands.
They're trying to hold on to it,but coaches and teammates are
standing on both sides of thatline with these huge padded
(18:24):
mallets or whatever they are,and They are just pounding at
this guy's hands to see if hewill drop the ball.
As the runner goes by them,they're trying to smash it out
of his grip.
And I saw that video and I wasjust thinking, like, there we
(18:44):
are, trying to hold on to faithand hold on to the promises of
God and hold on to the beliefthat God is good enough.
And that God is sovereign andthat God is in control.
And this life over and over willseemingly put you right down
that gauntlet and try to smashthat belief right out of your
(19:05):
hands.
No wonder these thingsdestabilize our faith in the
meantime.
You keep finding yourself in themidst of or on the receiving end
of terrible circumstances.
Terrible, terriblecircumstances.
(19:30):
Crushing losses.
Devastating suffering,discouraging disappointments,
perplexing difficulties, longdelays of unanswered prayer,
seemingly.
God's timetable can be so slowand his way so hidden.
There we are, trying to hold onto the ball.
(19:58):
But it is in this very tension,it is in that incongruity that
we have to practice our faith.
That's it.
That is the tension where wecling to the assurance that
scripture gives us that nothingfalls outside of God's control
(20:19):
and that God is the ultimateauthority over all things from
the grand cosmos to the tiniestdetails of your life and that he
is working out his purposes evenwhen we can't see it, even when
we can't feel it, even when wedon't know it, even when we
don't believe it, that he He'sworking and he's working and
(20:42):
he's working out his purposes.
Even when our circumstances keeptrying to convince us of a much
less hopeful arrangement.
And I would love to tell youthat there is an easier
environment in which to trustand follow God.
A simpler one with less tension.
(21:05):
One that is more clearly laidout.
One with way fewer problems.
And I can't tell you thatbecause that is not true.
Because until Jesus comes back,this tension is the only
landscape in which we followChrist until our faith is made
sight.
And one day our faith will bemade sight.
But right now, we are looking asthough through a glass darkly.
(21:30):
We cannot see the way of God.
Joseph is 17 when he's sold intoslavery, and he doesn't get out
of prison until he's 30.
Had he been listening to hiscircumstances for all of his
information, they would havetold him, you've been forgotten.
You've been forgotten.
(21:52):
But he was not forgotten.
Not by God.
He was forgotten by thecupbearer for a time, but not
forgotten by God.
Even when he couldn't see it,even when he couldn't feel it,
the way maker that we sang abouttoday was working.
The Lord was with him.
(22:15):
That's what the text keepstelling us over and over and
over.
The Lord was with him.
That is the decisive claim ofthis entire narrative.
Not everything will work out inthe end.
That's actually not the claimthat this narrative makes.
Or not, the key actor willalways be saved from trouble.
(22:38):
He's not.
Bad things keep happening tohim.
The decisive claim is that theLord was with him and that the
hidden and life-giving power ofGod is at work even when we
can't discern it and even whenwe can't see it and even when
there is evidence to theopposite of that for us.
(23:01):
Joseph is brought out of prisonto interpret the dreams of
Pharaoh.
And Pharaoh is so amazed, heputs him in charge of all the
land and all the food, second incommand, vice Pharaoh.
And he gets a new name and a newwardrobe and a new status and a
new wife and he has some kidsand he gets busy stacking and
storing away all the food inEgypt to prepare for the famine
(23:23):
that he said is coming based onPharaoh's dream.
And when that famine hits, whichit does, It hits hard.
Nobody has any food left exceptfor Egypt because Joseph has
been squirreling it away instorage.
And sure enough, famine hitsCanaan.
(23:45):
And his family in Canaan hearsthat there is food in Egypt.
And so in order to survive, inorder to live and not die, they
go to Egypt, they make the trip,and they show up before Joseph,
the brother that they hadbetrayed, the brother that they
had gotten rid of and thoughtthey were done with.
And they stand before his throneand they beg for bread.
(24:14):
Now, the narrative goes back andforth a little bit because
Joseph recognizes them rightaway, but they don't recognize
him at all.
And so it does go back and fortha bit, but long story short, for
today's sake, Joseph shows mercyto them.
And he says, I am Joseph.
(24:37):
He doesn't use his new name.
He uses his family name.
I am Joseph.
And that dream from way back,that dream that God had given
him from so long ago, finallycomes true.
(24:58):
And these brothers do indeed bowdown low before Joseph.
Forgive us, they say, we areyour slaves.
The purpose of God announcedvery early on in this story
through Jacob's words to Josephis finally fulfilled.
See to the welfare of yourbrothers, he had said.
(25:20):
Go and see about the shalom ofyour brothers.
And here he is in God's plan, inGod's timing, both because of
and despite all that hadhappened and had happened
against him and had happenedaround him.
Here he is doing exactly that.
(25:40):
seeing to the welfare of hisbrothers, but not just these
brothers, but on an even granderscale, seeing to the welfare of
a nation, seeing to the welfareof nations, preserving a remnant
of God's people who would havebeen wiped out due to this
famine, but for Joseph, but forGod.
And then that is where we arriveat just the highest peak of this
(26:04):
story and maybe of any story inall of the Old Testament as his
brothers do finally bow down lowbefore him expecting retribution
and punishment because of theirsin.
Joseph says to them, do not beafraid.
You meant this for evil, but Godplanned it for good.
You intended to harm me, but Godintended it for good to
(26:29):
accomplish what is now beingdone, the saving of many lives.
And we say, oh, amen.
Hallelujah.
I love that for you, Joseph.
We love that for them, don't we?
We love that for them, but...
(26:50):
I would guess we all know thatit is not as easy to apply that
testimony to our own troubledlives.
Think of the people thecircumstances that have harmed
you I'm not quite sure I'm readyto echo Joseph in this
(27:11):
testimony, and I'm not actuallyasking you in any way to be more
like Joseph and echo histestimony.
And I would also, here's apastoral care pro tip, I would
not recommend telling someoneelse that God is going to use
their suffering for good.
(27:32):
What I'm asking you to consideras we sit before this story is
the mystery on which this wholestory holds together the
sovereignty of God.
The sovereignty of God is boththe most comforting doctrine in
the Christian faith and at thesame time, it's the most
(27:56):
difficult.
How is that even possible?
The most comforting doctrine,because it affirms that
absolutely nothing is outside ofGod's control, that even in
suffering, God is not absent,that his wisdom and goodness are
not compromised as he works outhis purposes, even in the midst
(28:19):
of sin.
So that's comforting, but it isa doozy.
It is difficult because it is anequation that we cannot solve
for.
It's an equation we cannot solvefor.
If God is sovereign and he's incontrol and he's good, then what
(28:45):
is going on?
I'm really asking that.
What is going on?
But we can't solve for thatequation, can we?
What about suffering?
What about injustice?
Why do our prayers seemingly gounanswered?
Why do tragedies strike withoutany explanation?
(29:05):
Is God good but not in control?
Or is he in control but he's notgood?
And I think the Joseph storyactually invites us into the
tension of this mystery withoutgiving us flat answers.
(29:25):
Where God's purposes are atwork, but often they're hidden
and slow and somewhat uncleareven to the people that are a
part of that and living thatout.
And I'm reading this story and Iwant God to intervene.
I want some kind of abruptaction in here.
Like someone pulled Joseph outof that cistern.
(29:49):
Someone put that coat back onhim.
Someone exposed Potiphar's wifefor her lie.
How about a jailbreak from thatprison?
Just like we see in Acts 16.
I want to be like, sing a hymn,Joseph.
See if it works.
I don't know.
Maybe the bars will open up andyou'll walk out free.
It is a good thing that God isGod and I am not.
(30:13):
Because if I get my way, Josephwould have been in no position
to save his people.
God was at work in God's way andin God's timing to accomplish
God's purposes.
And that same God, this is all Ihave for you today, that same
God is still working in this wayamong us.
(30:41):
That same God is with us.
He's with you in your struggle.
He's with you in your grief.
He's with you in your illness.
He's with you in your prisoncell, either literally or
whatever form that incarcerationmay take in your life.
(31:03):
He's with you in yourdisappointments and he's with
you in your sufferings and yourchallenges.
And I know it is tempting topush back against the doctrine
of the sovereignty of God.
It is so tempting to just let goof it all together because of
that equation that we can'tsolve for.
Is God good?
(31:24):
Is he in control?
If he's in control, is he notgood?
If he's good, is he not incontrol?
Where is God in all this?
It's tempting to simply pushback.
But I'm asking you, what is thealternative?
What's the alternative to thesovereignty of God?
Going through life thinking thatjust everything is random?
(31:49):
That everything just happens bychance?
Believing that even God'spurposes are just derailed by
human sin and by human action?
Believing that any of it is alllike up to us alone?
or believing that he doesn'treally have the whole world in
his hands.
(32:13):
That will not stabilize you oryour faith in turbulent times.
No, I don't really think Godreally has the whole world in
his hands.
That is not a resource tostabilize us in turbulent times.
But to believe it, to believethat God has the whole world in
(32:33):
his hands requires faith andtrust and humility and surrender
because we have to just simplyadmit that we can't always trace
God's plan or understand hisways of working it out or see
what his times is as opposed toour timeline.
It takes the kind of faith thatsings, great is your
(32:58):
faithfulness.
I'm still in your hands and thisis my confidence.
This is my confidence.
that you are with me.
My confidence is not in anyhuman.
It's not in any politicalmovement or politician.
(33:19):
It's not in my own ability oryour ability.
It's not in my health.
It's not in my own hands.
All of these things can be tornaway from you.
All of these things are on theirway out.
There's only one thing thatstands, and that is the word of
the Lord, which stands forever,forever.
(33:39):
While going through stage fourcolon cancer, some of you know
Kate Bowler from Duke Divinity,a professor at Duke Divinity.
And she wrote a book calledEverything Happens for a Reason
and Other Lies I've Loved.
And she neither props up Romans8.28 as the only way of thinking
(34:00):
about everything, nor does shedismiss it.
She wrestles with it.
She wrestles with Romans 8.28,which I would imagine any of you
in this room who've ever readRomans 8.28, you've wrestled
with it too, because it goeslike this.
And we know that in all things,in all things, in all things,
(34:25):
God works for the good of thosewho love him and have been
called according to his purpose.
And I would love to make anedit.
We know that in some things, weknow that in most things, God
(34:47):
works for the good of those wholove him, who have been called
according to his purpose.
And she wrestles with this versethroughout her book.
And she writes, But the worldloves a tight ending, a formula,
(35:11):
a guarantee, a reason for allthis.
And she says, but I'm not sosure that that's what God offers
us.
God doesn't will the brokennessof our lives.
What God offers is a promise tobe with us in the midst of those
broken lives until Jesus comesback and makes all things new.
(35:35):
And so with all the terriblethings that happened to Joseph,
we come back to that affirmationthat you hear throughout his
story.
And God was with him.
The Lord was with Joseph.
The Lord was with Joseph.
The Lord was with Joseph.
And the Lord is with us.
Of course, Joseph points us toJesus, who is with us, a new and
(35:58):
better Joseph.
You shall call him Jesus, theangel told Mary's fiancee, yet
another Joseph.
Don't get confused.
Another Joseph.
You shall call him Jesus, for hewill be the savior of his
people.
because Jesus was also a belovedson by the Father.
Sent by the Father to go and seeabout the welfare of his family,
(36:20):
the shalom of his brothers andsisters, God's purpose now
growing far beyond just onefamily or one nation, but to the
whole world, the entire cosmos,the whole world is in God's
hands.
And the Father says to his son,go and see about the well-being
of your brothers and sisters.
Go and see to the shalom of thewhole world.
(36:42):
world.
And like Joseph, when Jesus didthat, he was rejected.
He came to his own, and they didnot receive him.
He was plotted against,betrayed, sold for silver,
falsely accused, punished,though he did not deserve it.
(37:03):
And yet it is through what hesuffered that he saved many.
I can't figure out the equation,but it's what scripture tells us
is true.
It is through his suffering,through his affliction that we
have been made whole and that wehave been reconciled to God.
In this way, God's purposes werefulfilled and I would not have
(37:25):
chosen And to everyone who puthim on that cross, Jesus could
have said the same thing asJoseph.
You intend this for evil.
(37:48):
You intend it for evil, but Godintends this for good, to
accomplish what is now beingdone in this death and
resurrection, the saving of manylives, including ours.
Amen?
And so Jesus is the word madeflesh, the affirmation of
(38:09):
Genesis 39 in human form.
The Lord was with him and theLord is with us.
God with us, Emmanuel.
And the ultimate hope to whichwe then cling in these turbulent
times is exactly that, that Godis with us.
That is the anchor to which wemust hold even when everything
(38:32):
is going sideways and we can'tunderstand what is happening to
us And we don't know where Godis in all this because it's a
mystery.
We anchor ourselves in the truththat in Jesus, God is with us,
not maybe, but surely.
And not just back then, but evennow and into the future.
(38:55):
Surely, Jesus said, I am withyou always to the very end of
the age.
Amen.
Let's pray together.
Father, we come before you in aword like this.
And I know for me it stops meshort because I can't solve for
(39:17):
the equation.
And yet, even though I can't seeevery angle of it perfectly, I
give you thanks for yoursovereignty over our lives and
our world.
I give you thanks that the wholeworld is indeed in your hands.
So I pray that you would notonly fill us with this meal to
(39:41):
nourish and sustain us, but tofill us with the power of the
Holy Spirit.
Because we do not just sit backand let God God's sovereignty
sort of run its coursepassively.
We want to be workers in yourvineyard.
We want to be those who live inthat tension, not in a place of
despair, but in a place ofvocation, that we would take up
(40:04):
our priesthood of all believers,even then, that we would work
for the shalom of our brothersand our sisters, that we would
see to the shalom of ourbrothers and our sisters, just
as Jesus did.
And so we too follow him in thatvocation.
And I pray for the places whereit simply does not seem to line
(40:27):
up your promises and ourcircumstances.
God, give us grace for theunknowing.
Give us grace for the mystery.
Jesus Christ, remain our anchorto whom we cling fast in
turbulent times.
In Jesus' name we pray.
SPEAKER_00 (40:45):
Thank you for joining us on Madison's We hope
today's message inspired you.
Don't miss next week's episodeas we continue exploring the
series, Kingdom Living inTurbulent Times.
Together, let's uncover how tolive faithfully amidst life's
(41:07):
challenges.
Until then, stay grounded and beblessed.
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