READ Genesis 50
Jacob dies; then Joseph lives to be 110 years old.
 
INSIGHT
God's will is often fulfilled in strange ways. Joseph was given childhood dreams indicating he would rule over his brothers. Little could Joseph have imagined it would include their trying to kill him, his spending time in prison, and his ruling over the nation of Egypt. That time and those experiences were needed to build into Joseph the character qualities and the wisdom needed to rule successfully. Never doubt in the dark what God shows you in the light.
 
PRAYER
As we praise the Lord in the words of this psalm, focus on His sovereignty and goodness:
God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.
I thirst for you; my body faints for you
In a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
To see your strength and your glory (Psalm 63:1-2).
 
Now pray this confession to the Lord:
You, my God, are wise in heart and mighty in strength,
Who has hardened himself against You and prospered?
(Based on Job 9:4).

I will return to the Lord;
For You have torn me, but You will heal me;
You have stricken, but You will bind me up.
After two days You will revive me;
On the third day You will raise me up,
That I may live in Your sight
(Based on Hosea 6:1-2).
 
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, affirming the truth of God's Word:
The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit
That we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs  — 
Heirs of God and coheirs with Christ — 
If indeed we suffer with him
So that we may also be glorified with him (Romans 8:16-17).
 
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

• Greater personal discipline
• Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith
• The concerns of your heart

 
Offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:
God will bring this about in his own time.
He is the blessed and only Sovereign,
The King of kings, and the Lord of lords,
Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light,
Whom no one has seen or can see,
To him be honor and eternal power. Amen (1 Timothy 6:15-16).