Part 2 – Supernatural Provision: Choices

Supernatural provision, Part 1,  defined lean times as an absence of food, finances, etc.  In other words, not enough.  In those times, we must consider the choices we make. Part 2 reveals how you can still receive supernatural provision in the worst of times by studying the life of Joseph (Genesis 37-50). Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt. When we study his reaction to all of this and the choices he made,  we find a young man who refused to allow his circumstances to dictate how he lived his life. He stayed true to his principles and to his God, thereby he was promoted by God and became a deliverer for his people. God does nothing without purpose. How did this Hebrew slave rise up to become second in command and a powerful ruler and player in a foreign land?

1. He stayed true to the God. Even when presented with the greatest of temptations, he chose to follow the tenets of his faith (Genesis 39:8-10).
2. He lived a surrendered life. Even in prison, Joseph did not act like a condemned man. He was in charge of other prisoners and assisted where he could. He ministered to the needs of others even in prison (Genesis 40).
3. He recognized the anointing God had placed on his life. He had the God-given gift of administration and management. His father, Jacob, saw this in his son and asked him to keep an eye on his brothers  (Genesis 37); Potiphar, to whom Joseph was sold,  saw this and placed him in charge of his household (Genesis 39); the keeper of the prison saw this (some Commentaries say this was Potiphar) and placed him in charge of the other prisoners (Genesis 40); and Pharaoh saw this and put him in charge of all of Egypt (Genesis 41).
4. He practiced forgiveness. Joseph did not hold a grudge against his brothers who sold him into prison. He recognized that God had a  plan in place for supernatural provision (Genesis 45:3-8).
5. He was discerning (Genesis 41:25-36). Joseph knew there were lean times coming and he trusted God who showed him what he needed to do.  El Shaddai, the God of more than enough, looked ahead and He saw (El Roi, God sees me) what was and would be needed for His people to survive those lean times and He (Jehovah Jireh) provided it.

When we find ourselves in lean times (and we will), like Joseph, we have to make choices. Yes, sometimes the manna will cease when we least expect it; but we must be smarter and stronger in our walk of faith. We have to stay true to our God, continue to minister to others when we might feel that we need to be ministered to, recognize God’s anointing in our lives, practice forgiveness and be able to discern our circumstances. We have to face the giants head on with God by our side. It is in those lean times we learn that we are more than conquerors through Christ.  We learn that when we put our trust in God, nothing is impossible.

Genesis 45:7-11 says, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a posterity and to continue a remnant on the earth, to save your lives by a great escape and save for you many survivors. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.  Hurry and go up to my father and tell him, your son Joseph says this to you: God has put me in charge of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay. You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be close to me—you and your children and your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have.  And there I will sustain and provide for you, so that you and your household and all that are yours may not come to poverty and want, for there are yet five [more] years of [the scarcity, hunger, and starvation of] famine.”

Trust God in the lean times so you may not come to poverty. Make choices, based on the character of God, not the wisdom of men.  God bless.