Genesis 41:8 – And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:16 – And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

Yesterday I began looking at the life of Joseph. I looked at the first half of verse 16 of chapter 41, when Joseph was called out of prison to stand before Pharaoh because there was noone else in the Egyptian realm that could interpret Pharaoh’s dream. It is so true that we only will go to God as the very last ditch effort, we will try everything else the world has to offer first! Joseph said to Pharaoh when asked whether he could interpret the dream – It is not in me. And this is such a fundamental point we each have to come to in our lives. We have to come to the point in life where we say, and believe in our hearts, that it really is not in me. My desires, my lusts, my dreams, my aspirations, my hopes, my purposes, my goals, my abilities, my capabilities, my wishes, my everything. We have to surrender unconditionally to God. A surrender that consists of emptying myself of everything I am, everything I have, everything I think I have to offer. A surrender that acknowledges the truth that we are and have nothing, we are and have nothing anyway, but our sinful hearts do not like to believe that. We cannot offer God anything. We cannot bargain or cut a deal with God. The answers to life are not in us. Fulfillment, purpose, hope, love, peace is not in us, we cannot generate it ourselves, we cannot produce it ourselves. We need God. It is God that builds up, it is God that establishes, it is God that executes his authority. I, like Paul, can only declare God unto you. I can only declare his word unto you, it is God’s word and God’s word has power. Acts 17:24,25 – God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. Like Joseph, God can use us, he will reveal himself to us, when we with a humble, contrite, broken heart say, It is not in me. But it is in God.

This brings us to what Joseph said next. He said, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. What is this answer of peace? Pharaoh’s spirit was troubled by his dreams. He was restless. He was troubled. He had something inside which was incomplete, unsatisfied, empty, yearning. The answer of peace is the answer that God gives you. God gives peace. Jesus said in John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The Bible says that the peace of God passeth all understanding. Are you looking for meaning to your life? Purpose? Fufillment? Have you spent, or are you embarking on a life spent in the endless pursuit of happiness, fulfillment, and deeper meaning? God has dreams for your life. You won’t be fulfilled, you won’t be truly satisfied until you get in line with his will for your life. Your spirit will find rest in him. And God won’t let your spirit have rest until you come to him. Your spirit will be troubled as Pharaoh’s was. Where do you go to for meaning? Do you consult the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men thereof? You can go to anyone, anything on this planet, and you will never unlock the meaning, fulfillment and purpose in your life. No matter where you go. It is God’s peace that your spirit is missing. God’s peace reigning in your heart.

Why do we need peace in our hearts? In our souls? Because before we are saved, we are at war with God. God’s wrath abides on us. Because we are sinners. We are under judgement, condemnation. We are alienated from God by our sins. God’s holiness does not tolerate sin. He loves you. But your sins have created a great gulf between you and God. You need to be saved before you can have peace with God. Jesus is that peace. He is the mediator between God and man. Colossians 1:20-22 – And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. As believers we can lose the peace of God in our hearts when we fall into sin, when we forsake God, when we turn astray. The Bible calls Jesus Christ the shepherd of our souls. Return to the shepherd, and God will return you to the shepherd by his grace and mercy. We need to come to Jesus Christ. We receive him and he lives in us by faith. When Jesus is on the throne of your heart, there will be peace in your life. Peace which the world does not understand. Peace that defies logic, reasoning, understanding. Peace in the very storms of life. It is Jesus that says, Peace, be still. And it is Jesus that has the authority. The storm ceased. The storms that will arise in our life can only be stilled by Jesus. The storms of life will try your faith. We need Jesus in our hearts, to say, Peace, be still. Receive his peace by faith. You can be broke, you can be in the toughest moments of your life, in impossible situations, you can have backed yourself into a corner with all your sins, but it is not beyond Jesus Christ. Hosea says, O Israel, thou has destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help. When we run our lives the way we want to, according to our own understanding and reasoning, we end up destroying ourselves. Our plans our d reams fail. God’s plans and dreams for our lives happen one way or another. Look at Samson’s life. Despite all his rebellion and self will, he still ended up fulfilling God’s purpose for his life, because even at the very end, when all looked bleak, he returned to God. God honored his humble prayer of faith. Look at your own life. Your sin has ruined your own life. My sin has ruined mine. Without Jesus, there is no hope, but with Jesus, there is hope, and peace everlasting.

You may be looking for the meaning of your life. God has dreams for you. But you will not realize your potential for God until you come to God. You can spend a lifetime looking for the purpose to your life in all the religions and belief systems of the world. You can even look for answers inside yourself. But as Joseph said, It is not in me. It is Jesus only, who is the way, the truth and the life. It is a narrow way though, do you really want the narrow way? Everything else will not give you an answer of peace. Nothing else but Jesus can grant rest to your soul. God is the answer. Go to God for everything, anything. Let Jesus be the Lord of your life. It will be worth it. Pharaohs dream prophesied of a a time of plenty and then a time of great famine. And this is representative of our lives. We can live it up here on earth. Things can be going so well. Why do I need Jesus? Luke 17:26,27 – And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. There is a famine coming to this world. A time of great trouble. If you are not saved, there is trouble coming. Eternal trouble. Eternal hell. You do not need to go there. This is why God will not give your spirit rest. Because there is nothing to rest about when your soul is in danger of hell fire. Be saved today. As Pharaoh appointed Joseph over all his affairs, so we need to by faith appoint Jesus over our lives. Let him be the Lord of your life by faith. Receive him into your life, into your heart by faith. It will be worth it.

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