ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB

by Os Hillman

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'" - Genesis 50:24

I was boarding the airplane in Frankfurt, Germany, when a mentor of mine asked me this question, "Would you consider why God referred to Himself as the 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'? Why didn't He simply say, 'the God of Jacob'?" What a strange question, I thought to myself.

For the next hour I racked my brain trying to discover the meaning to this question. I had never read it in a commentary, and the Scriptures do not really say why this is so. It became a good exercise with the Holy Spirit that led to some interesting observations - one from my mentor, one from my own insight.

First, could it be that the Lord has given us a "type of trinity" in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Abraham was considered a father figure to the nation of Israel. Isaac was the son who had to be sacrificed on the altar. Jacob was the man who had to learn to walk according to the Holy Spirit instead of his flesh. Each of these patriarchs had a particular relationship with God to fulfill.
My friend asked about an hour into the flight, "So, what did you discover?"
I told him of my observation.

"Hmm...that is interesting. I believe that what we also see in the patriarchs are examples of three distinct types of personalities. If the Lord had cited only one of the patriarchs, we would tend to seek to model that leader. However, the Lord has given us three distinct personalities in whom He performed His work. Abraham was the pioneer who ventured out into unknown territory and was considered righteous for his faith. Isaac was faithful to follow in his inheritance with few ups and downs in his life. He had the fewest calamities among the three. He was called simply to be faithful to what had been already given. Jacob had extreme conflict in his life. He suffered more pit experiences than either of his predecessors. He had much conflict in relationships that became the source of his inheritance. Each of us can identify with one of these men in how God has related to them."

God works in each person's life uniquely, and He has provided examples of lives for us to identify with from the Scriptures. Who do you identify with most in your Christian pilgrimage? Discover this for yourself. You will find encouragement as you seek to learn from someone who has gone before you.

GOD WILL NOT FULFILL YOUR DREAM IMMEDIATELY

by Rick Warren

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3 (LB)

"We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for thirty years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry. "
Even as you make a decision to follow the dream God places in your heart, you can expect a delay. God will not fulfill your dream immediately because this is another step toward building your faith.

In Habakkuk 2, God says, "These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled."
In this step of faith-building you will most likely start asking the question, "When, Lord? When are you going to answer my prayer?"

And we hate to wait. We don't like to wait in a doctor's office, or in traffic jams, or at restaurants, or for Christmas presents, or for anything else. But what we hate worst of all is waiting on God.

Have you ever been in a hurry when God wasn't? It's so irritating! You're ready, but God isn't. God wants to work on you before he works on the project. Every believer must go through the University of Learning to Wait (ULW). Some of us are still working on our degrees from ULW!

- Noah waited 120 years from the time he started building the ark until it began to rain.

- Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and didn't have a child until he was ninety-nine.

- God told Moses he would be the leader to lead his people out of four hundred years of slavery, but then made him wait in the desert forty years.

- Joseph spent years in prison before God raised him up and he became the ruler God wanted him to be.

- God had David anointed as king, but then David waited for years until he actually got to be king.

We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for thirty years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry.
Why do we wait? It teaches us to trust in God. We learn that his timing is perfect. One of the facts we have to learn is this: God's delay never destroys his purpose.

A delay is not a denial. Children must learn the difference between "no" and "not yet," and so must we. Many times we think God is saying, "No," but he is saying, "Not yet."

GOD CARES FOR YOU

by Joseph Prince

Do you know why there are many believers today who don't cast
their cares upon the Lord? It is because they don't have a
revelation that He cares for them. Look at what His Word says:
"[Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7, NKJV). Unless you have absolute confidence that Jesus cares for you, you will not cast your cares upon Him.

Just think: Would you call upon the help of a relative or friend in your time of need if you were not confident that the person would respond to your call? Jesus cares for you! When you call upon Him, you can know that you have His fullest attention with all of heaven's resources backing you up.

Maybe you are thinking right now, "Well, I am sure that Jesus has more important things to do than to bother with my problems." Hang on! By saying that, you have just shown that you don't really believe that Jesus cares for you. Now, let's see what the Bible says: "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:30).

I love and care for my sweet daughter, Jessica. But as much as I adore her and care for her well-being, I have never, not once, counted the number of strands of hair on her head! She does not know how great a blessing she has been to me. I love to kiss her, smell her hair and hug her tightly. Yet, in all my great love for her, I have never taken the time to count the hairs on her head.

But do you know that your heavenly Father numbers the hairs on your head? That's how much He cares for you! Not one strand can fall to the ground without His being aware of it.

I really hope you are beginning to catch the heart of Jesus and have stopped putting limits on His love. His love for you is all-encompassing. If He cares enough to keep track of the hairs on your head, is there anything so small or insignificant that you cannot talk to Him about it?

God's love for you is infinitely detailed. Jesus said that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father's will. Are you not of more value than a sparrow?

Is God a God who winds the clock and then leaves it alone to tick until Jesus comes back? Is He involved only with major events in the world? Is He involved only in significant events in our lives—such as our salvation—or is He vitally and intensely involved in the day-to-day minute details?

What do you think? The Bible says that He calls His own sheep by name (see John 10:3). My friend, His love for you is personal, detailed and in-depth!

Knowing this, you can begin to see the Lord in the midst of every situation and concern in your life. When you learn to bring Him into the picture, He makes everything beautiful.

I'm sure your life hasn't been perfect. The scars of yesterday may still be throbbing in your memory. Perhaps you were sexually abused as a child or emotionally hurt by someone you trusted.

As you look back now, you may still feel angry, frustrated and disappointed all at the same time, and the hurt may still pierce your heart. But in the midst of your pain, I want to challenge you to start involving Jesus. See the Lord holding you, gently healing your wounds. Jesus is right there restoring you, putting courage into your heart and taking away all sense of shame and guilt.

Beloved, He wants you to know that your past will not determine the future that He has for you. Once you involve the Lord and put Him into your bitter waters, He will turn the bitterness into sweetness.

That is what the Lord did for the children of Israel. When they came to a place called Marah, they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, which Moses cast into the waters. When he did that, the Bible says that "the waters were made sweet" (Ex. 15:25).

Why did the foul-tasting, undrinkable waters become refreshing and sweet? The answer lies in the tree that was cast into them. The tree is a picture of the cross on which our Lord Jesus hung, bearing every broken heart and every sting of betrayal. When you bring Jesus into your situation, He can cause every bitter experience to become sweet! Cast your cares on Him and allow His presence to restore you today!


About the author: Joseph Prince is the senior pastor of New Creation Church (newcreation.org.sg), a vibrant, dynamic and fast-growing church in Singapore, which has a congregation of more than 19,000 members. He separately heads Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc. (josephprince.org), an international, non-profit organization that seeks to build, encourage and inspire people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through television broadcasting as well as new media technology. Prince is the author of several books, including his most recent, Unmerited Favor (Charisma House), from which this message is adapted. For information about resources by Joseph Prince, log on to destined2reign.com.