Watch What God Does

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Genesis 41:16, ” ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’ “

Background

I have a coworker who has had a rough go of it for the past several months. She contracted shingles on her face, threw her back out lifting her child, and endured her mom’s discovery of, surgery to remove, and chemotherapy for breast cancer. She missed two weeks of work with bronchitis, and has been doing double entry for months, and getting further and further behind, as we transition from our current accounting system to a new one. In the midst of that whirlwind, she changed daycares for her two children, dealt repeatedly with a mother-in- law who skipped her medication and became irrational, bought a lot to one day build a house on, wrestled with keeping her thyroid in check, and became pregnant. She sometimes will say that life is just so hard right now. And who of us would disagree? I listed above at least ten things of significance that have impacted this woman, and I’m certain each of us could replace those with ten of our own. Perhaps twenty. Joseph never spoke truer words when he said, ” I cannot do it. ” And my coworker knows the depth of that confession.

Application

But she doesn’t know the One who can do it. She hasn’t given up trying and come to the One who has the answers. There is still for her this daily struggle between doing what she can and hoping it all works out, and feeling consumed and overwhelmed as one crisis is replaced by another, one demand on her time followed by the next. Fleeting are the moments when she can enjoy the expectation of her third child, the hope of one day building her dream home on their property, the wonderful prognosis of her mom’s health, or the blessing of having a job. But how are we different? Each of us could use a few more hours each day, a couple more hands, and many more dollars. There’s always going to be something chipping away at our peace. But if we believe that we cannot do it, and God can, then we will lay it down at His feet, and trust. Actually believe that He has a reason. Know that He is always looking at us, that His back is never towards us. Do that, and watch what God does.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask God to forgive you for trying to do what only He can. Ask him to help you to do what only you can. And pray for my coworker.