Some time ago while reading through the Bible, I came upon what seemed to be the endless genealogies of the patriarchs found in the pages of the Old Testament. Reading in Exodus 1:5, I was reminded of the sons of Jacob who went into Egypt with him during the time of famine. Starting with Rueben and ending with Asher, a total of 11 sons are listed as being with Jacob when he arrived. However, Jacob was father to 12 sons. The one not listed with the others is Joseph. In your Bible, you will see Joseph’s name isolated and standing alone from the others and encased between parenthesis symbols. Within these symbols, you will discover a treasure almost hidden away in what some would consider parenthetical insignificance. Here is how it is written in the Bible, complete with the parentheses:
(for Joseph was in Egypt already)
The impact of that little phrase is explosive in my spirit. Think about it. The man God would use to sustain his father and brothers was already in place before their arrival. Through Joseph, the foresight and insight needed to guide a country through a famine was already in place before the famine even started. Pharaoh didn’t have to import a financial genius from some faraway place in order to secure Egypt’s endangered economy. His best economist and financial genius strategist were already there. The answer was in place before the problem ever manifested.
So it was with the provision of our soul’s redemption. Long before sin marred the complexion of humankind, there was a “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
So it is with your life. In this miraculous season of God’s favor, you’ll discover that His blessings and provision will precede you and enable you to make the difference in others.
In this dynamic season, you will see as never before the reality of 2 Corinthians 9:10: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness” (NIV).
