or we continue to look forward to the joyful fulfillment of our hope in the dawning splendor of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus, the Anointed One.

 There are so many examples in the bible of family dysfunction, right in the middle of God's amazing and perfect plan being established:

“Rachel, realizing she was barren, became envious of her sister.  “Give me children or I’ll die,” she exclaimed to Jacob.   Jacob flew into a rage.  ‘Am I God?’ he flared.  ‘He is the one who is responsible for your barrenness.’” (Genesis 30:1, LB)

 “One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother Leah.   Rachel begged Leah to give some of them to her.  But Leah angrily replied, ‘Wasn’t it enough to steal my husband? And now will you steal my son’s mandrakes too?’  Rachel said sadly, ‘He will sleep with you tonight because of the mandrakes.’   That evening as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. ‘You must sleep with me tonight!’ she said; ‘for I am hiring you with some mandrakes my son has found!’ So he did.” (Genesis 30:14-16, LB)

 [Jacob to Rachel and Leah] “’Your father has turned against me’ he told them, ‘and now the God of my fathers has come and spoken to me.  You know how hard I’ve worked for your father, but he has been completely unscrupulous and has broken his wage contract with me again and again and again.  But God has not permitted him to do me any harm!’” (Genesis 30:5-7, LB)

 [Laban to Jacob] “’What do you mean by sneaking off like this?...Why didn’t you let me kiss my grandchildren and tell them good-bye?  This is a strange way to act. I could crush you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and told me, ‘Be careful not to be too hard on Jacob!’… [Jacob] ‘I sneaked away because I was afraid,’ Jacob answered.  ‘I said to myself, ‘He’ll take his daughters from me by force.’” (Genesis 31:26-31)

Laban's daughter Rachel was the one who had stolen the idols from Laban that she stuffed into her camel saddle and now was sitting on them.  So although Laban searched the tents thoroughly, he didn’t find them.  (Genesis 31:34, LB)

 “The messengers returned with the news that Esau was on the way to meet Jacob—with an army of 400 men!  Jacob was frantic with fear.  He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups; for he said, ‘if Esau attacks on group, perhaps the other can escape.’” (Genesis 32:6-8, LB)

 “Then Israel journeyed on and camped beyond the Tower of Eder.  It was while he was there that Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and someone told Israel about it.” (Genesis 36:21, LB)

 This is just a little of the dysfunction and sin that is spoken of in the journey of Jacob in fulfilling his destiny as a father of nations.   As Jacob favors his one son, Joseph, born by Rachel over the others, and Joseph used his favor to tell on his brothers, further amplifying the differentiation, the brothers turn on him.   They want to kill him but then settle, based upon Judah’s suggestion, to sell him off to the Egyptians and lie to their father about his death. 

Shortly after this, Judah leaves home and ends up sleeping with a prostitute that really is his daughter-in-law in disguise.   When she became pregnant from him, after ordering to have her burned to death for becoming pregnant, he realized and admitted his wrong and excused her.  He still refused to marry her, leaving her in a shameful position as she gave birth to two twin sons. One, Perez (meaning “Bursting Out”) was in the lineage of Jesus. 

Joseph, while not the one who would extend the lineage of Jesus, learned in difficulty after difficulty to navigate the best he could in faithfulness to God and kindness to others.    As a result, God’s hand of blessing was upon him and he prospered wherever he landed.   Eventually, he was raised up to the highest ruler in Egypt under the Pharoah, and was the salvation of his brothers who tried to murder him.  

When God brought his brothers back to Joseph, they didn’t recognize him.  As Joseph was trying to separate them out from Benjamin, his full biological brother, they explained to him that Benjamin was the only living child that their father recognized and so it would break his heart to lose him. The said, “Then my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife had two sons, and that one of them went away and never returned-doubtless torn to pieces by some wild animal; I have never seen him since.  And if you take away his brother from me also, and any harm befalls him, I shall die with sorrow.” (Genesis 45:27-29)

In other words, their father had basically told them that he did not recognize any of their mothers as his wife.  They had the value of servants or slaves in Jacob’s eyes and not sons. This is why Joseph receiving the multi-color coat was so devastating to them.   It was the reality of Joseph being treated as a son and them being treated as servants.  They longed to be seen and loved as sons and not servants by their father. While Joseph's betrayal by his brothers ran deep and was devastating, Joseph got a glimpse of his brother's pain as well. 

Anyone who has read Genesis knows that the story of dysfunction in the family goes on and on.   Since the time that both Eve and Adam ate the fruit in the garden from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, sin entered the world.  There is lying, cheating, stealing, dishonoring, murder, envy, strife and comparison. 

At the same time as all the failures and sin, we see that it never detracted from the purposes of God coming forth.   From the Pharaoh ordering the death of all boys born to family division and exploitation, through it all, God brought forth His grand purposes.   He accomplished His grand purposes right in the middle of the messiness and dysfunction. 

None of the pain and heartache was wasted either.   We see God using pain, sin and failure over and over as a platform for promotion.   God is training us for His Kingdom rule using the messiness of life.  It was not despite the difficulty that we see Joseph raised up as a leader that saves his brothers from a famine that would have caused their demise, but because of it.  Because of it, he was deeply broken over not only his own pain and trails, but the pain and struggles of his brothers. He could finally see it and make room for them with compassion rather than vengeance or judgement.

In the story of our lineage, there is such grace, love and faithfulness of God weaved throughout the story.   There is this overall purpose that God faithfully fulfills.  At the end of the day, the Israelites arise into the promises of God and receive His blessings.  God completes what He sets out to accomplish using His chosen people.  

Yet, there was also personal consequences for sin.  We see Rachel’s womb being closed up for a period of time.  She could not give birth to God’s purposes in her life while staying in a place of envy and hatred for her sister.   We see that Jacob, who wrapped his life up in his son Joseph, had a heart that became like a stone (Genesis 45:26) for a time.  We see Joseph’s brothers carry heavy guilt and regret over their sin and remember Joseph’s fear filled, desperate plea to them for mercy with anguish.   We see Reuben losing his place of honor as first born as he tried to take this position by self-promotion.   We see Simeon and Levi scattered by God because of their cruelty and violence.  

Yet, in the story of redemption, Judah, despite offering his brother to be sold into slavery and sleeping with his son’s widowed wife thinking she was a prostitute, carries the lineage of Jesus.   Simeon inherits land through Judah, the lineage of Jesus.  And Levi is chosen to serve the Lord.  Like the scarlet cord hanging from Rahab the prostitute's window, there is a beautiful thread of redemption.

We see some of this messy betrayal and dysfunction in Jesus's life as well with His family.  As the leaders of Judea were plotting to kill Jesus, his brothers mockingly tell him to go to Judea and show his works there (John 7:1-4).  It says, "For even his own brothers did not believe in him."   How piercing that would be to hear your very own brothers tell you to go and die.  Mary, His mother, and His brothers also tried to retrieve Jesus when He was preaching as they judged Him as being out of His mind.  Yet we know that James later writes one of the gospels because of the goodness and grace of Jesus and Mary was present at the crucifixion. 

Because God chooses to bring His purposes through humans who are in such need of grace and are riddled with failings due to the sin in the world and the choices made, there are also delays in the promises of God coming forth.   Abram’s father settled when he should have sought the Lord and stepped into the promises of God. The Israelites shrink back from entering the Promised Land out of fear and God needs to wait for the next generation to be raised up.

“I still believe in the coming of the Lord…in Your return” sings.

We also see those, imperfect, stepping out in faith and hastening (making a way for) God’s purposes for the time and season.  It was Joseph who received back his brothers, forgiving them.  He not only embraced them but made room for them in Egypt.  This saved them from starvation and planted them right in the middle of the purposes of God. We also see Abraham stepping into the Promised Land by faith and even offering up his promised son that was miraculously given to him.  We see the people of God exiting Egypt to claim their land under Moses.  Later, we see Joshua crossing over and taking the Promised Land by faith.  

Our sin did not thwart the purposes of God.  In some cases, like with Joseph, sin seemed to advance the purposes of God.   All that to say that we don’t have to get it perfect or all right to enter into the promises of the Lord for today.   He ultimately, in His faithfulness, will bring forth His purposes for this hour if we continue to trust and look to Him.   In the midst of both our sin and our excellencies, we will see His hand move sovereignly among us.  At the same time, our obedience and willingness to step out in faith or fearfulness and refusal will hasten the day or delay the day for the purposes of God to come forth.  

We hear this in 2 Peter 3:10-12, “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.  Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat.…”

There is no gain in delaying the day for God’s purposes to come forth.  It is only as we enter into them that we find joy.  Hastening the day has to do with moving through difficult times at a quicker pace and not camping out in them.  It also has to do with being in alignment with God and sharing His heart for His Bride.    It has to do with expectation, joy and hope for what is coming, knowing the best is yet to come.  Like giving birth, it is a painful process but the hope and expectation for what is to come far outweighs any difficulty in getting there.     

It is also about being prepared and ready as the Bride of Christ.   The day that is approaching is the day of the joy of His heart.  It is a wedding day.   He is coming again for a bride that is mature, unified, compassionate in care for others, laboring in the harvest field, empowered, lovesick and passionately pursuing Him.

Romans 4:20-24 says, “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.'  The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

Some years ago, I kept hearing the Lord speak about His returning.   I wrote several blog posts about it and even spoke of it a little on occasion in a leadership devotional I did at my old church.  I sensed a great deal of joy about what was to come.   As I had been praying, God was also speaking to me about the urgency of the Bride preparing for the hour that was coming.  About the need to grow our roots deep in the Lord as a church body.   I had an excitement but also some fear around it.   There was a fear of disaster that was rooted deep on the inside of me.  

As God spoke about suicides increasing and the body of Christ being the answer to the difficulty coming in the world, it terrified me.  I then saw statistics that the number of suicides were increasing which deeply bothered me.  Eventually where letting the fear overtake me was that it left me with a resistance to see His purposes come forth even though I deeply longed for a greater and greater outpouring of the Spirit on the church and deepening of our roots.  Between persecution about believing we were coming into an hour in preparation for His return by some close to me and difficulty, feeling inadequate, and my own fear of disaster, I stopped wanting to hear about it.

I wanted to fit in and ‘be normal.’  But stuffing myself with indulging food, binge watching TV, skipping church, not reading the Word and living a ‘normal life,’ for a season, I felt lethargic, distant, bored and crabby.    It didn’t make things better for me or stop His plans and purposes.  It also didn’t make me feel more adequate.   It just made my life feel dark and bleak.   I wanted more and started to become depressed again after all these years.   Then when the pastor of my church held up this sign that said, “The Best is Yet to Come,” hope and joy came flooding in again and this fear of disaster completely dissipated.   Then friends, who are like family, came into my life to help me get set free of the lethargy and, along with a few other close friends, to walk along side of me who heard the same about revival and His return.   I became incredibly encouraged.   

“We turn our backs on ungodliness and indulgent lifestyles but rather, to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in this present age.  For we continue to look forward to the joyful fulfillment of our hope in the dawning splendor of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus, the Anointed One.”

I don’t hold to a fear of disaster anymore.  Under His eyes, I truly have found a place of peace.  It is like this fear can’t touch me.  Ironically, as suicides have increased and much of the difficulty has more came our way, I don’t feel afraid of it like I did before it was here.  I feel more determined to pray and press into God for an overflow of His Spirit to overcome the hour we are in.   We need it.    

Like Jesus who found encouragement in His friendship with Martha, Mary and Lazarous who He deeply loved, I found a place of encouragement from those close to me that inspires me and helps me to press forward.   Having people who inspire me and believe with me for the purposes of God and are pursing the same picks me back up when I experience persecution, setbacks or discouragement.   It makes a huge difference for me. 

It is not for us to be swallowed up in darkness, but to be taken up in the Spirit with Him above the difficulty.  We are the answer for the difficulty of the hour and this is the reason that God wanted us to have deep roots and be separate from the world.  As we set ourselves apart for Him, we have all we need in Him to conquer every difficulty we face.

 “How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord; within their hearts are the highways of holiness!  Even when their paths wind through the dark valley of tears, they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain.   He gives to them a brook of blessing filled from the rain of an outpouring.  They grow stronger and stronger with every step forward, and the God of all gods will appear before them in Zion.  Hear my cry, O God of Heaven’s Armies!" (Psalm 84:5-8, TPT)