From the prison.. to the Throne

[Ebn Barbara]

“ Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children… But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more, So he said to them: Please hear this dream which I have dreamed, There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him: Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us? So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words “ (Genesis 37 : 3 – 8).

A short while later on we see the dreamer, the son who is loved more than his brothers, the one who expected the reign and the bowing of others before him, thrown in a well, then sold to the Egyptians.. then accused.. and thrown in prison for 13 years !!!

Where is the dream? Where is the reign? And if dreams were not to be true.. is the prison the substitute? Doesn’t it happen with us? Individually.. or as a church? Or as a country?

Specially today, to us whom the Lord gave promises, dreams, visions and prophecies about a great revival coming to our country, a peace that will cover the land, a restoration of what was stolen from us, a true year of jubilee followed by a harvest, about multitudes coming to the Lord, about miracles, signs and healing the Lord is going to visit us with.. about.. about.. about…

Did the Lord love Lebanon and distinguish it like He did with Joseph?
Yes.. He loved it and distinguished it.. and this is not to boast about, although it happened before and brought us a lot of catastrophes and disasters..
The groom who symbolizes Jesus Christ said to the bride who symbolizes the church:
“ You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you, Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, With me from Lebanon… You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace… And the fragrance of your garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon “ (Song of Solomon 4 : 7 – 11).

Very clear words about God’s love to Lebanon, about His care to His bride from Lebanon, about comparing the fragrance of her garments to the fragrance of Lebanon, about the eyes of His bride that ravished His heart..

The Lord was not satisfied with these words, the Holy Spirit came and revealed to us His purpose and timing to fulfill these words to His church in Lebanon.. and we took hold of these promises, dreams, prophecies and the year of jubilee.. so we prayed and still are praying, we fasted and still are fasting, we interceded and still are interceding, we fought in the spiritual realm and still are fighting, and we proclaimed our faith cleaving to the promises of God and still are..

But.. by sight.. we are still in prison..
Things are getting worse.. challenges are big.. the situation is causing worry.. the horizon is blocked.. and ministry wise the fruit is few.. the change is slow.. and we are still waiting for signs and wonders and…
Most of us wondered and still are wondering.. where are the dreams, the visions and the promises? Where is the reign? Where is the year of jubilee the pastor promised us from you Lord at the beginning of the year, we are now in the middle of the 11th month?

We are suffering like Joseph from the scorns of those around us, and we say like the psalmist says:
“ We have become a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and derision to those who are around us “ (Psalms 79 : 4).

We wonder and wonder and wonder…

I don’t have the answer but surely the Lord does..
And today with all humility.. but with boldness and faith.. I forward to you the answer of the Lord to these questions:
“ Hear the word of the Lord, You who tremble at His word: Your brethren who hated you, Who cast you out for My name ’s sake, said: Let the Lord be glorified, That we may see your joy? But they shall be ashamed. The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, Who fully repays His enemies! Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? … Rejoice with (Lebanon), And be glad with him, all you who love him; Rejoice for joy with him, all you who mourn for him; That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of his bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of his glory. For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will extend peace to him like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On his sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on his knees. As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in (Lebanon), When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies “ (Isaiah 66 : 5 – 14).

Yes.. did 10 months and a half pass away from the year of jubilee and we didn’t get any fruit?
Do not fear.. the Lord say: in just one day I will restore you, not for a year, but for many years of dryness and drought.. this country will be born in one day.. the nation will be born at once..

A dark prison.. where Joseph spent 13 years, but in a single moment he was enthroned:
“ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; (and after he interpreted the dream to pharaoh)… Pharaoh said to his servants: Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God? Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you, You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph: See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt, Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him: Bow the knee! So he set him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph: I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt “ (Genesis 41 : 14 – 44).

And then come the psalmist to confirm this word and say in psalm 105:
“ He sent a man before them – Joseph - who was sold as a slave, They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him, The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free, He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom “ (Psalms 105 : 17 – 22).

Today we are like Joseph..
We complain and nag from slavery..
Our feet are hurt because of chains..
Our souls are captivated in iron…
Our dreams not yet fulfilled.. the prophecies are not yet fulfilled..
Promises not yet fulfilled.. we didn’t see the barns of the year of jubilee yet..
That’s ok.. for all this is till the coming of the word of the Lord..
And today like it was with Joseph.. the word of the Lord is testing us like it tested Joseph at that time..
Joseph passed the test.. and in one night and one day he was moved from the prison to the throne..
And the question remains: what about us today?

This message from the Lord is not by coincidence, it is the time of the coming of God’s word, it is the time beloveds, it is a visitation from Him to wipe away all the dust the enemy has put on our faith, to strengthen our hands so we don’t get weary few days before we fulfill all HE promised us…

A call to all, to be united as one man in war, to be sanctified and purified consecrating ourselves to the Lord and His work, casting away all the burdens that may hinder us from moving forward, not getting lost with the matters of life, fixing our eyes on the Lord, the source of our faith, continuing the pursuit together, not letting our faith be shaken in the coming days no matter what happens, fearing nothing even if the earth trembles, or mountains fall into the seas… God is among us we shall not be moved, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble, He makes the war cease to the ends of the earth, He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire, He says to us and to our enemies: be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth, the Lord almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress ( Psalm 46 ).

Trust and believe that not one promise of His promises will fall..
but all shall come to pass

After Joshua got old and fulfilled the mission given to him by God, and after God’s promises of the land and the defeat of the enemy came true, he stood and said to his people:
“ Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed “ (Joshua 23 : 14).

How wonderful is this faithfulness that was in Joshua’s heart, and how beautiful it is to exalt the Lord after He fulfills His promises to us.. but how precious it is to exalt the Lord and believe that His good promises to us shall come to pass 100%, even before we see them fulfilled by sight, and specially when circumstances are against these promises..
Today we have the opportunity.. to stand and lift up our heads in the midst of all these circumstances, and praise the Lord for the fulfillment of these promises, even before we see them by sight, remembering what happened between Jesus and Thomas:
“ Jesus said to him: Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed “.
(John 20 : 29).

Joshua exalted the Lord when he saw..
And Thomas exalted the Lord when he saw..
But.. blessed are we today if we exalt the Lord and believe that He will fulfill all that HE promised us to.. before we see it..
Will we?

Let us receive this message today with the spirit of faith, let us standstill in the face of our enemy to see his kingdom falling apart, and his thrones being cast down in this country, to see the Lord amazed with our faith like He was with the faith of the centurion, so He fulfills His promises and prophecies to us, one by one with His mighty hand..
Let us trust His faithfulness.. He is the promise keeper, the one who waits on His word till He fulfills it..

Let us believe that in one night and one day:
Our country will be born at once, our nets will be filled with plentiful fishing.. and we will be moved from the prison to the throne !!!

[بنت معلم الاجيال]

Thank you

very beautiful