What a week! Our junior high school students have had an incredible week in Arkansas! We hope it’s been a good week for you too. We wanted to end the week talking about the dreams that God had for Joseph and His people, as well as the dreams that God has for you and your family.
Joseph was given a dream by God about how he would be placed in a position of authority and dominion. He would be in such a high place that his brothers and family would be dependent upon him to the point of bowing down before him. These dreams that Joseph had become a reality, and Joseph made sure that his brothers knew that he had forgiven them and that everything that had happened in his life was a part of God’s plan for him.
Joseph was also aware of a dream that God had given to His people. In Genesis 15:18, which was way before the story of Joseph happens, God makes a promise to a man named Abram about the people of Israel. It states, “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land…”
This promised land was a wonderful place. It was described as a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8). This bountiful place would be where God’s people would reside…at some point. It was promised. It wasn’t an immediate residence, but it was a promise. Joseph knew of that promise. He was taught that story about God’s promised land for Israel. He knew that God’s dream for His people was to be in the promised land, but that it wasn’t a reality yet in his lifetime. Before Joseph died, he commanded his people to do something a little odd, but powerful. In Genesis 50:25, it states- “And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
“God will surely come to your aid.” Do you hear that confidence? Joseph goes even further. He said that the people must carry his bones when he dies to be buried in that land that God has promised. We’re told in Exodus 13:19 that Moses and the people took Joseph’s bones with them on all of their wanderings. When Moses died and Joshua took over leadership of the Israelites, they were able to cross over into the promised land, and Joseph’s command was fulfilled. In Joshua 24:32, we read, “And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.”
Joseph KNEW that they would get to the promised land. The Israelites, however, weren’t going to make it to the promised land until many, many years after Joseph’s death. How did he know that? He knew they would get there because it was God’s dream for His people.
God has great dreams for you, parent. He wants you to continue drawing close to Him. After several days of devotions and connecting with the Lord, we don’t want this daily habit of focusing on God to end. We want you to continue growing in the Lord every day. To help you with that, here is a link for a daily devotion put together by Pastor Kerry Shook-
https://www.kerryshook.org/blog
We also want you to connect with others. If you are not in a Life Group, here is a link to for you to join or host a Life Group-
God also has great dreams for your junior high student and for your family. We can promise you that trials and tribulations will be part of those dreams, but we can also promise you that God will be faithful to walk with you through the fire but not allow you to be burned. Keep dreaming God-sized dreams, parent. We can promise you that when the dream comes from the Lord that there is nothing in the world that can keep it from coming true. For the God we serve is faithful. Dream on.
We’re in Your Corner-
The Student Ministry Staff Team
