It's chapter 41, and Donald will come and read for us.
Genesis 41. Let's hear the Word of God.
When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream.
He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat,
and they grazed among the reeds. And after them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile
and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows.
Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream.
Seven ears of corn, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk.
After them, seven other ears of corn sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.
The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven healthy, full ears.
Then Pharaoh woke up. It had been a dream.
In the morning, his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.
Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.
Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.
Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
The young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard.
We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.
And these things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us.
I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.
When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.
But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.
I cannot do it, Joseph replied to Pharaoh.
But God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile.
When out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
After them seven other cows came up scrawny and very ugly and lean.
I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.
The lean ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.
Even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so.
They looked just as ugly as before.
Then I woke up.
In my dreams I also saw seven ears of corn, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
After them seven other ears sprouted, withered and thin and scorched by the east wind.
The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven good ears.
I told this to magicians, but none could explain it to me.
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.
God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
The seven good cows are seven ears, and the seven good ears of corn are seven ears.
It is one and the same dream.
The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterwards are seven ears,
and so are the seven worthless ears of corn scorched by the east wind.
They are seven years of famine.
It is just as I said to Pharaoh, God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
but seven years of famine will follow them.
Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.
The abundance in the land will not be remembered,
because the famine that follows it will be so severe.
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.
And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man,
and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land
to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
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.
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 the country may not be ruined by the famine.
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials,
so Pharaoh asked him,
Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
Since God has made all this known to you,
there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
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.
So Pharaoh said to Joseph,
I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh took a 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.
He had him ride in a chariot as his second in command,
and men shouted before him,
Make way!
Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
I am Pharaoh,
but without your word,
no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphonath,
and gave him Asenath,
daughter of Potipharah,
priest of Onn,
to be his wife.
And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
Joseph was 30 years old
when he entered the service of Pharaoh,
king of Egypt.
Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence
and traveled throughout Egypt.
During the seven years of abundance,
the land produced plentifully.
Joseph collected all the food produced
in these 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.
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.
Before the years of famine came,
two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath,
daughter of Potipharah,
priest of Onn.
And Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh
and said,
it is because God has made me forget
all my trouble and all my father's household.
The second son,
he named Ephraim and said,
it is because God has made me fruitful
in the land of my suffering.
The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end
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.
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.
When the famine had spread over the whole country,
Joseph opened the storehouses
and sold grain to the Egyptians.
The famine was severe throughout Egypt
and all the countries came to Egypt
to buy grain from Joseph
because the famine was severe in all the world.
To Genesis chapter 41,
to notice in particular,
in this great chapter,
God's timing and God's deliverer.
The Joseph story is epic in its scale, isn't it?
It takes a long time even to read it.
And here we're reminded of this movement
in the story of Joseph.
We began with him,
sort of riches,
glory in his father's house.
Then we see him in rags.
Now we see him in riches again
in Pharaoh's palace.
There's a great drama,
a great sweep of drama taking place in his story.
But also the Joseph story is a great illustration for us
of the Bible's big story.
You know, what's the Bible all about?
As you look across 66 books that are contained,
and it's really telling one great story.
Who is God?
And how can I know this God?
What's wrong with the world?
And how can I be saved
so that I might know and enjoy God?
And so you read the Old Testament
before Jesus comes,
and you see that it's all pointing forward
towards Jesus.
It's like the shadows before the substance comes.
You read the New Testament,
and you see that it's reflecting back
on the life of Jesus,
the death and the resurrection of Jesus,
and its significance for the church,
and indeed for the world.
So there's one big story,
and this big chapter, I think,
can help us to see so much of the good news
at the heart of the Christian faith.
And to summarize these 57 verses,
what we see here is the all-powerful God
who is working to his perfect timetable
to raise up a savior
who is the answer to human distress
so as to bring blessing to the world.
That's the gospel,
as we'll see as we get into this story.
First thing to look at,
God's timing and God's control.
So here is Moses,
and he's writing the story of Joseph,
and he wants us to see very clearly
God is in control,
and his timing is perfect.
Now, how does he do that?
Well, we see it throughout our text.
So verse 16,
we discover God is the God
who gives answer to dreams.
In verse 28,
we discover God is the God
who will bring these seven good years
and seven years of famine.
We see in verses 51 and 52
as Joseph names his sons
an awareness of God's providence and control.
God has made me.
So it's there in the flow of the text,
but it's also in the theme of the dreams
that we get through the story of Joseph.
So very quickly,
some of us haven't been here
since we began our Joseph story.
Joseph at the age of 17
has a couple of dreams sent by God
announcing to Joseph
that he will be raised up
to a position of prominence
so that his family will bow down to him.
Now his brothers,
they don't like this message to say the least.
They hate Joseph anyway
because he's the father's favorite.
They hate him all the more
because of these dreams
and so they sell him into slavery in Egypt.
And while in Egypt,
he'll go from being a slave to being a prisoner,
but while he's in prison,
so somewhere between the ages of 17 and 30,
we find Joseph both a slave
and a servant and a prisoner.
Somewhere during that time,
around the age of 28,
another prisoner comes,
the cupbearer of Pharaoh,
and he too has a dream
and Joseph interprets that dream
and it's a favorable interpretation
because he has returned
to the place of honor with the Pharaoh.
God gave him the interpretation.
God was announcing
that the cupbearer would be back
beside Pharaoh
so that,
chapter 41,
verse 1,
when two few years had passed,
Pharaoh would now also have a dream.
So here's our third dream
and what happens?
The cupbearer,
verse 9 to 13,
he remembers.
Joseph.
He remembers.
There's someone in prison
who's able to interpret the dream for you,
Pharaoh,
and because of that sequence,
Joseph finds himself
in the palace of Pharaoh.
Joseph finds himself
in the position
where he can be,
effectively,
the savior for the world
because this famine hits hard.
And so what we see
by the end of the chapter,
we've got Joseph
somewhere around the age of 37,
so about nine years pass
in the course of chapter 41,
and we can see that his dream
from 20 years earlier
is beginning to come to pass,
but it's not fully realized yet.
God is in control
in this long drama
of Joseph's life.
At any point in the story,
someone might have asked,
has God lost control?
There was this dream
about Joseph
and glory and honor,
but look at him.
He's a slave.
Look at him.
He's a prisoner.
Look at him.
He's been forgotten
by the cupbearer.
But as Moses invites us
to take this wide-angled view,
we recognize
God has not lost control
because God never loses control.
That's one of the central teachings
of the Bible about God.
He is our creator.
He is the one who sustains our life.
He is the one who plans all things
according to his will,
his way, and his timetable.
He is the sovereign king.
For Moses' first readers,
for the newly established people of Israel,
as they're wandering in the wilderness,
as they haven't reached
their final destination,
this is good news.
It's good news for them to hear
that God who rescued you,
just as he promised from Egypt,
you can trust him.
The promised land will come.
come,
have faith in God's perfect timing.
And you know,
those truths about God never change.
We need those truths too.
We need that encouragement
that we have a God
who we can trust.
We have a God
whose word
and whose promise
never fails
for his people,
for his plans.
And in particular,
not only do we see
God is directing things,
we see God is directing things
for a particular purpose.
God is directing
history here
so that he might
keep his promise
to bless
and to save
through the family of Abraham.
Genesis chapter 12.
From your family,
Abraham,
will come blessing
to the nations,
will come blessing
to the world.
Joseph is a small part
of how that is going
to work out
as he is sent
to be the people's savior
from this famine.
And that climaxes,
that blessing
to the nations
from the family of Abraham,
that climaxes
when God sends
his own son,
Jesus,
to be born of a woman,
to be born
in the family line
of Abraham
to bring ultimate blessing
and salvation
to all those
who will trust in him.
So we see very clearly
God's timing
and God's control.
What we also see
very clearly
in our story here
is human trouble
and distress.
And it begins
with Pharaoh's
troubled sleep.
I wonder
if you've known
that experience
of having
a disturbing dream
and you wake up
with a start
and your heart
is racing
and you can feel
the sweat
on your face
and you're distressed,
agitated,
confused.
And sometimes
it can take a while
to realize
it was just a dream.
But you know,
for Pharaoh,
he doesn't have
that resolution
to the tension
and the agitation.
because in the Pharaoh's
story,
because it's part
of the Joseph story,
we know
that this dream
is sent by God
to reveal
future reality.
And that future reality
contains within it
the distressing
and disturbing news
of famine for Egypt
and indeed
for the world.
That's what's
in those dreams
in verses 2 to 7.
You've got the fat cows
and then the skinny cows
and the skinny cows
eat up the fat cows
but they're still
as skinny as they were.
And you've got
the really good grain
and the bad scorched grain
and it swallows it up
but it's still
the same.
Verse 8,
we're told
Pharaoh's mind
was troubled.
So he sent
for all the magicians
and wise men
of Egypt.
Pharaoh told them
his dreams
but no one
could interpret them.
And then the cupbearer
remembers Joseph
and Joseph
is brought in
and Joseph
for God
interprets
the dream.
And what we see
as the chapter
progresses
is what begins
as personal distress
for Pharaoh
on earth
with those dreams
about
becomes national distress
as Egypt is told
famine will come
in seven years time
so you better get ready.
And that then
becomes
global distress
as the countries
find themselves
in famine
and need to know
what they can do.
This is a dramatic story.
If this was happening today
it would dominate
world headlines.
Global famine
in this story.
What do we make of it?
Now again
we need to remember
here's Moses writing
the first five books
of the Bible.
He's written
the book of Genesis
and in the Genesis story
we are
introduced
to the reason
why
death comes.
We are introduced
to the reason
why
there is suffering.
We are introduced
to the reason
why there is threat
that looms
on our horizon
because we are
introduced to
the fall
of Adam and Eve.
They were created
in a perfect environment
to enjoy
perfect relationship
with one another
and with God.
There was no famine
in Eden
but then
sin came
and as they
decided
to mistrust
and distrust
God and His word
as they decided
life would be better
for them
making up
their own rules
and refusing
to listen
to God's voice
or to submit
to God
as king
sin came
and with sin
came suffering
and curse
and death.
And so Moses
has introduced
us to that
reality
and we will see
throughout
the book of Genesis
the threat
of death
and suffering
that looms
because of
this fall
into sin.
And it's important
for us to recognize
the importance
of verse 8
because we are
reminded
in a very
deliberate way
here is Pharaoh
and he faces
trouble and distress
but it's a problem
that neither
human power
nor human wisdom
is capable
of fixing.
Who is Pharaoh?
Pharaoh is the
most powerful man
of his day.
He is
the great
superpower.
He has
all resources
at his
fingertips
but that is
not and will
not be enough
to spare him
from the
disaster
that is
coming.
It is
true that
wealth can
act like a
bubble
and it can
save us
from much
suffering
and heartache.
Resources
can do much
to insulate
us
but power
is a bubble
that can burst
and it can be
lost
and it does
not spare
us
and it
will not
spare
Pharaoh
from
suffering.
Sometimes
we lose
sight of
that.
As society
I think we
expect that if
people are
wealthy and
successful
then nothing
bad can
possibly ever
happen.
and it's
one of the
reasons why
tragedies,
sudden deaths
of famous
people is
so shocking
to many.
Death invades
that reality,
challenges us
with the
brevity of
life.
It reminds us
that no matter
how much
we have
we are
still weak
and we
will one
day die.
And human
power and
wealth doesn't
spare us
from that.
Human
wisdom
doesn't
provide an
answer.
The wise
men of
Pharaoh's
court,
I guess
like every
wise man,
would like
to believe
ideas can
fix the
world but
here they
find themselves
clueless as
to how to
help Pharaoh
in his
distress.
the wise
in our
generation,
just like
every
generation,
would expect
that more
legislation
and better
education
and tighter
security
will lead
to life
being good
and life
being perfect.
But what we
see is that
regardless of
how good
legislation is,
still there
is suffering
in nations
and societies,
still there
is hurt,
still there
is death.
So often
the wise
are looking
for answers
in the
wrong places,
looking for
superficial fixes
when the
problem with
humanity and
society lies
at the heart
level.
It's where the
Bible goes,
saying the
problem lies
in the human
heart.
That's what we
need to fix
and that's
something only
God can
fix.
As the
chapter moves
on, we see
the distress
as it moves
from Pharaoh
to Egypt
to the end
of the chapter.
The famine
is severe
in all the
world.
Here is a
problem that
everybody is
facing.
famine.
And it's a
great illustration
of sin
and its
effects.
One of the
themes of
the book
of Genesis
is the
seed
theme.
And we
can see that
in this
chapter,
both negatively
and positively.
The famine
is a result
of the
seed
in the
ground
not
growing.
Here is
part of
that curse
that came
because of
sin.
That growth
and fruitfulness
is affected
because Adam
and Eve
did not want
to live
under the
good rule
of God.
Because of
sin, the
earth fell
under a
curse.
The environment
is affected.
Adam was
told,
you will
toil to
produce
food.
So at
the roots
of this
famine,
at the
roots of
all disaster
and suffering,
is the
consequence
of our
rejection
of God.
We
recognize
the world
is a
beautiful
place
because God
has made
it beautiful,
but the
world is
also broken
because of
our sin,
because of
the mess
that we
have made.
And what
becomes clear
in Genesis
41 is
that as
people,
we cannot
save
ourselves
from
suffering,
from a
biblical,
taking the
whole picture
of the
Bible,
we cannot
save
ourselves
from this
sin that
leads to
death,
which is
the greatest
crisis for
the human
race in
every generation.
But that
seed theme
that we find
in Genesis
also has a
positive element
because it
speaks to us
of God's
grace.
So after
Adam and
Eve had
sinned and
rebelled
against God,
there was a
promise that
from the
seed of the
women would
come one
who would
crush the
head of
the serpent,
there would
be one who
would win a
decisive victory
over the
powers of
evil.
And then in
Genesis 12,
the seed from
Abraham's family
who would bring
God's blessing
to the world.
And so our
story, even
as it moves
towards global
crisis, is
also at the
same time a
message where
there is hope
because of
God's promise,
God's promise of
a rescuer who
will come.
Here in this
story, we see
him in Joseph,
but Joseph
represents Jesus.
That's what we
want to look at
next, God's
chosen deliverer
comes.
One of the
wonderful things
that this chapter
does and that
the Bible does
is it highlights
that God's
salvation comes
from the humble
place, comes
from the lowly
place, comes
from the
unexpected
place.
Who is the
hero of
Genesis 41
at a human
level?
It's Joseph.
Now who is
Joseph?
In Egypt, he
is a foreigner,
a slave,
and a
prisoner.
And where
does he come
from?
Not from power
and prestige,
he's summoned
from the
king's dungeon.
The answer
to the problem
facing Egypt,
facing the world,
doesn't come
from the mighty
and the powerful.
The answer
doesn't come
from the wise
men of the
royal court.
It doesn't lie
in the resources
of Pharaoh the
king.
It comes from
this humble
and unexpected
place.
And this
has always
been God's
chosen way
of working.
Joseph is
in Abraham's
family.
Abraham gets
that wonderful
promise,
your family
will be as
many as the
stars in the
sky.
Your family
will be a
blessing to the
world.
Kings will
come from you.
That promise
is given to
Abraham,
married to
Sarah,
very old,
and with
no children.
That's a
small beginning,
an unexpected
place to
announce salvation.
But it
emphasizes God's
grace and
God's glory.
Or think
about the
nation of
Israel.
So they've
just been
called by
God to
be his
people.
Israel
wasn't the
great superpower
of its day,
not even
close.
A tiny
nation at
this point,
weak and
landless and
vulnerable,
but God
has called
them to
himself,
and he's
made a
covenant
commitment to
them,
and he's
given promises
to them,
and given
them this
message that
they will
be his
messengers
bringing light
to the
world.
Through that
tiny nation,
salvation would
come.
It's the same
for us as a
church.
Paul says,
not many
powerful,
not many
noble were
called,
because God
delights to
work in the
weak and the
small.
The church
can seem
weak and
small and
insignificant to
our society,
perhaps to
ourselves,
but in
God's hands,
God can use
his church,
and God has
always used
his church,
weak as we
are, for
his purposes,
so that God
gets the
glory.
And when we
think of
salvation coming
from the
humble place,
and the low
place, and the
unexpected place,
don't we see
this is true in
the story of
Jesus?
Here is
Jesus, the
eternal Son of
God, but in
human terms, how
does he enter
the world?
He is born in
a stable, in a
backwater town, to
a poor young
mother.
And as he
grows and as he
begins his
ministry, he is
seen by the
religious establishment
as mixing with
the wrong crowd.
Here he is
spending his
time with the
poor and the
sinners, not the
religious elite.
He's seen to be
working in the
wrong place.
He's working up
in Galilee.
That's a bit of a
mixed background.
Why is he not
in Jerusalem?
That's where kings
should be.
That's where the
power people are.
Jesus is called a
blasphemer.
He's called a
false messiah.
people cannot
marry up his
low place with
his high claims.
And he will be
crucified, dying
in apparent
weakness.
But, as the
Bible declares, in
his death is God's
loving response to
our need.
As God, as
Jesus dies for our
sin and in the
place of
sinners.
So, Jesus takes a
low place in
order to
rescue and
deliver.
And it's
announced and
foretold in the
story of Joseph.
What else can we
say about Joseph as
deliverer from our
text?
We see some
wonderful scenes
here.
In verse 16,
we see very
clearly, Joseph is
God's man.
Here he is, brought
into the palace from
the prison.
Pharaoh tells him
he's got a dream.
I've heard it said
of you that when you
hear a dream, you
can interpret it.
I cannot do it,
Joseph replied to
Pharaoh, but God
will give Pharaoh the
answer he desires.
So, here is Joseph
standing in front of
Pharaoh.
Pharaoh who
describes himself as
a son of the
God.
And Joseph boldly
says, the true
God, he will give
interpretation.
Joseph has God's
spirit.
It's amazing, even
Pharaoh can see it,
verse 38, as
Joseph announces
his plans for how
to prepare the
nation for
famine.
The plan seemed
good to Pharaoh
and to all his
officials.
So, Pharaoh asked
them, can we find
anyone like this
man, one in whom
is the spirit of
God?
Recognizing he's
equipped in a
unique way, called
clearly, God's hand
is with this man.
And Joseph, too,
identifies with
God's people.
And we see that in
what happens in his
own family life and
personal life.
So, in verse 44
onwards, as
Pharaoh introduces
Joseph to the
establishment, what
does he do?
he gives him a
new name.
Let's put
Egyptian culture
on him.
He's given an
Egyptian wife,
and that wife
comes from a
line of
pagan
false
worship.
But what do we
see about
Joseph?
In verse 50
to 52, we see
two sons are
born.
They're not given
Egyptian names.
They're given
Hebrew names.
He hasn't lost
his identity.
He hasn't lost
his sense of
connection to the
people of God
and to his
father's house.
He identifies
with the people
of God.
And in verse
57 and in
verse 55,
Joseph is
clearly revealed
to us as
God's answer
to human
need.
When Egypt
cries to
Pharaoh,
Pharaoh says,
don't come
to me,
go to
Joseph.
He's the
one who
can help
you.
Do what he
tells you.
And then in
verse 57,
all the
countries came
to Egypt
to buy
grain
from
Joseph.
Moses is
very deliberate.
God has
raised
Joseph up
so that he
is seen
to be
the deliverer
for the
world.
From the
distress that
they are
facing through
Joseph comes
blessing.
Just as God
has been
promising all
along.
And in this
chapter, the
promise of
Jesus is
everywhere.
Jesus isn't
just God's
man.
He is God
who became
man in
order to be
our deliverer.
Jesus is
spirit-filled.
He is empowered
for ministry
by the
filling of
the spirit.
Jesus is
the one who
left heaven
to become
one of us,
to identify
with us
in our
need, so
much that
he'd be
baptized for
us, that
he would
then go to
the cross
to die
in our
place for
us.
And Jesus
offers salvation
to the world,
to anyone
who believes,
regardless of
culture,
or race,
or background.
He is
God's
chosen
deliverer.
How should
we respond
to the
Jesus story
as we see
signpost to
it here in
chapter 41?
one.
We certainly
need to be
like the
cup bearer
who recognized
it was wrong
of him to
forget about
Joseph.
It is wrong
for us
to forget
about Jesus,
to push him
to one side
as if he is
no big deal,
as if his
identity and his
death on the
cross and his
resurrection and
return to glory
is of no
consequence to
him.
Jesus is the
central figure
in history
and he needs
to be central
to our lives
as the only
hope for a
broken world.
We also
would do
well to
follow
Pharaoh,
respond
like
Pharaoh.
What does
Pharaoh do
for Joseph?
First of all,
he honors
Joseph and
we should
honor Jesus
in our
lives,
recognizing
here is
God's
rescuer.
And just
as
Pharaoh
told
Egypt,
we should
go to
Jesus.
We should
listen to
him.
We should
trust in
him.
And indeed,
this is our
message to
others.
Once they
come to
us,
we can fix
your problems.
We say,
go to
Jesus.
We found
the one
who can.
We need
to be like
the nations
of verse
57 who
come streaming
to Joseph,
coming empty,
needing to
be filled.
We need
to come
to Jesus
in our
need to
recognize
he is the
bread of
life,
to recognize
he is the
one who
can satisfy
and who
can save.
Nothing
changes.
in all
of history.
The world
still needs
God's
Savior.
You and
I still
need
God's
Savior.
The story
of Joseph
is an
old story,
it's an
ancient
story,
but it's
a vital
story for
you and
me as
it points
us towards
Jesus,
as it
reminds us
of the
reality of
human
distress
and
suffering,
as it
reminds us
that we
are by
ourselves
despite
our
resources
unable
to fix
all that
is broken
in our
hearts
and in
our
world.
It
points us
beyond
ourselves
to God's
provision,
to God's
Savior,
to a hope
that comes
from God.
This story
points us
squarely
to Jesus,
to the
cross of
Jesus,
as my
hope and
your hope
to date.
Thank you.