Hello all,
I hope you have had an enjoyable week doing a few things you love to do. I am so happy to be able to write part two of this amazing story of Joseph. It has been an eye opening experience.
Well, Hurricane Hillary came and went through Southern California, Nevada, and Mexico. Praise God we received some good amount rain. If I had to try and gage the speed of the wind, it might have hit thirty miles an hour for a short time. I am sure some of you reading this might chuckle a bit due to some of the hurricanes that have come through your area. I am so thankful the damage was kept to a minimum, at least in the San Diego area. It caused many people to prepare and gather items they should have on hand anyways. Storms, winds, rains, and even hurricanes can come and go, but if we stay grounded and prepared, we will be much more successful in weathering the storms outdoors and also in our lives.
Speaking of storms, Joseph was a man who endured many trials in his life. Today I am writing part 2 on the life of Joseph in The Holy Bible, and how he survived some of the torrential hurricanes, that could have taken him down in his life. I ended last weeks post with Joseph interpreting dreams for two of Pharaoh's important employee's who had been thrown into jail themselves with Joseph. The chief cupbearer was restored back to his position in the king's palace as Joseph predicted, and the baker's life ended tragically three days after he was released from jail, as Joseph predicted following his interpretated of the bakers dream. All Joseph asked them to do after he interpreted their dreams, was to not forget about him in jail and to let Pharaoh know what he had done for them. Two full years had passed and because they were trying to find anyone who could interpret Pharaoh's two troubling and upsetting dreams he had, this triggered the chief cupbearer's memory of what Joseph did for him in jail, so he told the king about Joseph. He explained to Pharaoh, that a man in prison interpreted his dream and the bakers dream two years earlier and the outcome was exactly the way he said it would be. Because no one else in the land, including the magicians and the wisest of men, could not tell Pharaoh what his two confusing dreams meant, he sent for Joseph. After cleaning Joseph up, due to being in prison for several years, they brought Joseph to the king. Pharaoh told Joseph his two dreams and Joseph explained their meaning. Before Joseph replied to Pharaoh, he told him that he couldn't do it, but God would give Pharaoh the answers he desires. Joseph told Pharaoh, "The dreams are one and the same. God has revealed to you what he is about to do." The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years...The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
Here is what it says in Genesis 41: 28-40
28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”
37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God[a]?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
Can you imagine how Joseph felt when Pharoah had said this to him?! Can you imagine what was going through Joseph's mind when he had been through basically hell-on-earth from seventeen to thirty years old?! Looking back he had basically experienced slavery two times in his life, and was framed by Pharaoh's wife years earlier for an assault he did not commit on her that landed him in prison, but God once again increased him to a level of leadership. He was released from prison and put in charge of the whole land of Egypt at 30 years old. Only with regard to the throne would Pharaoh be above Joseph. God never forgot about Joseph and was working a great plan for his life all along.
The amazing, inspirational, and triumphant story of Joseph picks up in Genesis 41:42-55
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[d] to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim[f] and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
Jacob, Joseph's father learned there was grain in Egypt and sent his sons to buy some, so they would live and not die.
Ten of Joseph's brothers traveled together to buy grain in Egypt. They had no clue, their brother Joseph was still alive or what had happened to him after they had sold him into slavery, when he was seventeen. Jacob kept Benjamin home with him because he was afraid that harm might come to him.
Joseph was now made governor of the land by Pharaoh, and was the person in charge of selling the grain to everyone who came to Egypt from other lands.
When Josephs brothers arrived to Egypt, they did not recognize Joseph and bowed down to him, putting their faces to the ground and calling him Lord. If you remember back in part one of this series, Joseph had told his brothers, in his dream as a teenager, they would bow down to him and that was basically the last straw that led them to drum up a plan to destroy Joseph's life.
As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them but pretended to not know them. He began to speak harshly to them. The brothers told Joseph they were there to buy grain, and they traveled from the land of Canaan.
Joseph remembered his dreams about them and told them they were spies and were there to see where the land was unprotected.
They proceeded to tell him, there were twelve brothers, and their youngest brother was back with their father Jacob. When Joseph accused them of being spies they replied in Genesis 42:10
10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
Joseph told them only one of them could go back to the land of Canaan to get their brother, and the rest would be put in prison until he was brought back to prove they were not spies. The brothers were kept in prison for three days.
On the third day, Joseph let one of the brothers stay in prison and sent the others back to take grain to their starving households. Joseph said this was to test their honesty. He told them to bring back their youngest brother.
As they were leaving, they all felt this was happening to them because of the distress Joseph had, when he pleaded for his life and they did not listen. Reuben reminded them that he did not want to sin against Joseph. The brothers didn't realize Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. This is where the story takes a huge turn and Josephs' true character is revealed.
In Genesis 42:24-26 we read:
24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
During the seven years of abundance, Joseph stored up all the food that came from it, and stored it in all the surrounding cities. He stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sands of the sea. It was so much, he actually stopped keeping record of it because it was beyond measure. Because he prepared and planned, The people of Egypt and the surrounding cities would not starve. On a side note, before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons. One oldest son was named Manasseh and the second was named Ephraim.
On their journey back to Canaan, one of the brothers opened their sack to get feed for his donkey, and saw his silver that was taken from them when they came before Joseph to get grain. Their hearts sank and they began to tremble and wonder what God had done to them.
When they arrived to their father's home, they explained everything that happened to them. They told Jacob they were spoken to harshly and were treated as if they were spies. They explained to Jacob that they told the man in charge, they were twelve honest brothers, whose youngest brother was back in Canaan with their father.
The brothers told Jacob that they were instructed to take food to feed their starving family and to bring their youngest brother back to Egypt to prove they are not spies. If they did this, their other brother would be released from prison.
Jacob did not want to send the youngest son Benjamin back. As the weeks went by Jacob's family had almost gone through all the food Joseph sent back with the brothers, so Jacob finally agreed to let them take Benjamin back so they would not starve. He agreed to make his son Judah responsible for Benjamin. In Genesis 43:11-14 we read Jacob sent back many other gifts to give to Joseph
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.14 And may God Almighty[a] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
When the brothers arrived in Egypt, and Joseph saw his youngest brother Benjamin with them, he told his steward to take the men to his house, and prepare dinner for them to eat at noon.
The brothers were scared because they thought Joseph was sending them to his house to punish them because of the silver that was put back in their packs as they traveled back home to take food to their dad and Benjamin. They explained everything to the steward so they would not get punished.
Here is how the rest of the story unfolds in Genesis 43:
23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.
26 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”
28 They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.
29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.
31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”
32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
The next morning, Joseph gave instructions to the steward to fill their sacks up with as much grain as they could carry and give their silver back. The steward also obeyed Joseph by slipped Joseph's silver cup in the youngest brother's sack. He told them to let them go but to catch up to them and say, "Why have you repaid good with evil and taken the silver cup, my master drinks from?"
The brothers told them they had brought back the silver they found in their sacks. The brother also said, "If any more of your servants are found to have the king's silver cup, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.” The servant told them that if it is found, that person will become his slave and anyone who didn't take it will be set free."
The silver cup was found in Benjamin's sack and they all began to mourn. They all traveled back to Egypt to be brought before Joseph.
Judah said to Joseph they would all be his slave, but Joseph told them, "No, only Benjamin will. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.” Judah replied, "Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. In a condensed version he replied, "We did all that my Lord asked of us to do."
Genesis 43:27-34
27 “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’
30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’
33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”
The story gets so good here, I cannot bring myself to summarize it, so I will copy straight from the NIV version of The Bible, how it reads in Genesis 45. This will truly show Joseph's Godly character and the beautiful heart he had.
45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ 12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.” 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. 16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’ 19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’” 21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” 25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
The brothers traveled back to Canaan, and Jacob their father was so excited, he gathered all of his family, and traveled back to Egypt with the loaded carts Joseph had given to them. On the way there when they reached Beersheba, Jacob offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
Genesis 46:2-3
2 And God spoke to Israel (Jacob) in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
Genesis 46: 26-31
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
When Joseph explained to Pharaoh all that had happened, he allowed them to continue shepherding in the best part of his land and granted them to stay. Pharaoh then asked Joseph to bring his father Jacob to him. Pharaoh asked Jacob his age and he told him 130 years old. Jacob then blessed him and Pharaoh left the room.
Genesis 47:11-12
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.
The Famine became even more severe after this happened, so the people of Egypt and the surrounding cities got desperate, and they sold all of their livestock and all they had to Joseph, in exchange for food.
In Genesis 49 we read what the people plead to Joseph:
...Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[c] from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”
26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.
28 Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 29 When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31 “Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Genesis 48:1-5
48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.
Jacob reached out for Josephs two sons and began to bless them, but not in the order Joseph thought he would, then he blessed Joseph.
Genesis 48:15-16
15 Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, 16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.”
When Joseph presented his sons to his father, Jacob made Ephraim the youngest over Manasseh, the oldest. Joseph was not happy about this but Jacob told Joseph this is the way it was going to be.
Genesis 48:19-21
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” 20 He blessed them that day and said,
“In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And to you I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”
Genesis 49 ends the story of Josephs life, with his father Jacob explaining what will happen to all 12 of his son's and the generations to come.
Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come...
He called them out one by one and proceeded to tell them what would become of them and their families. Some of the outcomes were positive and some of them were not favorable. If you interested in learning more about the prophesy of Jacob concerning his 12 sons, you can find this by reading Genesis 49.
Genesis 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
Then Jacob gave all of them these instructions about where he wanted to be laid once he passed away. He told them to bury him in a cave:
...near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.
After Jacob gave his sons these instructions, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Wow, what a story! Was that a mic drop or what? Was that a pin you just heard hit the ground?! Hopefully after reading this intense and in-depth story, we will be able to draw wisdom and inspiration as we go through challenges in our own lives. Many of us will never experience as much opposition as Joseph did, but others will. Maybe this story will help to put some of the hardships we face in our lives in perspective. Joseph was a man of integrity who forgave his brothers from doing unthinkable acts to him and against him. He showed upstanding judgement and integrity during pursuit of his life and opposition towards him. He showed much perseverance through being imprisoned more than once. He was a man of forgiveness and chose not to hold grudges. He knew when to be tough but kept a soft heart throughout his array of challenges in his life.
I hope you were able to find something in this story that speaks to you. Something you can hold on to when you face various trials and tribulations. Something that can help guide you when you are faced with situations that just don't seem fair. If we look closer, we can see similarities in the persecution the apostle Paul and John experienced in their lifetime. If we even look close enough, we can see some parallels to the life of Jesus and what he went through as well.
I am so happy you joined me today. Thank you so much! I would love to get any feedback you have in the comments section or you can message me as well. I invite you to explore more on my website www.intoyourgrowth.com The "About" section will help you to learn more about my inspiration for writing this BLOG if you would like to read it. I invite you to click on "BLOG" to see more of my previous posts, as only a few are shown on the front page or click on "All Posts" to read more. If you view this on your cell, you can click on the brown square menu button at the top of the HOMEPAGE or you can use the arrows below under the most recent posts, to find more. If you are encouraged by what you read, I invite you to "SUBSCRIBE" to this Blog (if you have not already done so) and you will receive notification via email when I publish a new post. I usually try to post on Mondays but summer and a few other events are changing that plan for now. Thank you for your patience and prayers :)
I am so appreciative of the feedback and comments my readers leave! I would love to hear how your are doing on your journey, so I welcome any comments in the Comments Section.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers for my Mom Joan, who is in skilled rehab for her fractured pelvis. She fell approximately two weeks ago. Her spirits in general are high, and she seems to be surrounded by many wonderful caregivers in the facility she is in. She is becoming an expert wheelchair operator and she is making friends with the workers. There are even a few of them who are giving her uplifting Godly encouragement and love. What a relief she seems like she is in good hands. Your prayers are making a difference. Thank you again!
Be well and God bless you. I will continue to keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.
Big hugs,
Jen Henry
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