Genesis 45 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 45.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/45/1/s_45001

Meditate on this phrase from verse 8.

It was not you who sent me here, but God …

Joseph saw life from God’s perspective. God used the evil done by his brothers to get Joseph where He needed him. Joseph chose not to be jaded by 22 years of family separation. He saw clearly and stated with confidence, “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5).

Joseph’s forgiving response of “do not be grieved or angry with yourselves” (Genesis 45:5) foreshadowed the forgiveness Christ extends to you. God sent Christ to the cross to preserve your life. With His forgiveness comes His provision and promise to be near you and take care of you (Genesis 45:10-11).

What a glorious gift from God! With God’s forgiveness, provision, and protection, comes the ability for you to have a Joseph perspective on life. No matter where you are or how you got there, God wants you to see with His eyes. God put you where you are, and He has a purpose for you being there. God has sent you to preserve life. As you choose to live for Jesus Christ and others, ask God how you can preserve and protect the people God has given you.

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), you are protecting those God wants you to guard. Pray Genesis 45:7 over them.

“LORD, make ________ to be a remnant in the earth for You.

Keep them alive by Your great deliverance.


For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 44 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 44.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/44/1/s_44001

Meditate on verse 16.

So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord?

What can we speak?  And how can we justify ourselves?

God has found out the iniquity of your servants;

behold, we are my lord’s slaves,

both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found.

Recall Judah devised the plan to sell Joseph into slavery and lie that an animal killed him (Genesis 37:26). Judah slept with his daughter- in-law, Tamar, thinking she was a prostitute. She and Judah became the parents of twin sons (Genesis 38). Time changed Judah and over the course of twenty-two years, Judah became a different man. He promised his father to protect Benjamin with his life when Benjamin went to Egypt (Genesis 43:8-9). When Joseph’s silver cup was discovered in Benjamin’s sack of grain, Judah begged Joseph to let him take the punishment for Benjamin’s apparent crime. Judah was willing to give his life for his brother.

This sacrificial act on the part of Judah, brought the Joseph story to its climax, (Joseph revealed his true identity in Genesis 45:1), and it sealed Judah’s place in history for the coming of Messiah. The Judah of Genesis 44 is a picture of Jesus Christ. He was willing to be the substitutionary sacrifice for the life of Benjamin. He was the lion protecting his little brother. He is the father of the tribe from which King David and Jesus descended (Luke 2:1-7; 3:31-33).

Behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,

 has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.

And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures)

and the elders
a Lamb standing, as if slain ...

 —Revelation 5:5-6

The baby you celebrate today is the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), pray Genesis 44:16 as a prayer of confession to your LORD.

“What can I say, my LORD? What can I
speak? How can I justify myself?


You know my iniquities. Behold, I am Your bond-slave.

You give me Your cup of salvation.


Thank You, Lion of Judah, Lamb of God.


In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 43 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 43.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/43/1/s_43001

Meditate on verse 26.

When Joseph came home,

they brought into the house to him the present

 which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him.

After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother;

 and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. 

Then opening their treasure,

 they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

—Matthew 2:11

Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus with Jesus must have smiled when Christ explained this part of Genesis to them (Luke 24:18, 27). The brothers bringing presents and bowing to Joseph foreshadowed the wise men coming to worship Christ.

Every part of the Bible is perfectly written by God Himself in order to reveal Himself as Jesus Christ, the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life. Jesus explained Himself as revealed in ALL the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:27). Philip began with the Old Testament passage the Ethiopian was reading and preached Jesus (Acts 8:35). Paul reasoned with people from the Old Testament Scriptures explaining and giving evidence that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 17:2-3).

If you are not already a studier of the Bible, the entire Bible, I hope this year long treasure hunt of God’s Word has given you a hunger to dig deeper and know God’s Word better. Knowing Jesus through the revelation of Himself on every page of the Bible will make you a wise person. In that God-given wisdom, you, too, will bow before your Savior giving Him the gift of your life.

Merry Christmas! Worship your Immanuel, God with us!

Pray Genesis 43:26 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, I give You everything I am holding in my hand.

Please let _________ do the same.


I bow before You, Jesus, today and for the rest of eternity.

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 42 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 42.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/42/1/s_42001

Meditate on this phrase from verse 19.

Confined in your prison …

The last time Joseph’s brothers saw and heard him was over 20 years ago. They had thrown him into a pit then sat down to eat a meal. Their dinner music that day was a young Joseph crying and pleading in his distress (Genesis 37:23-25; 42:21).

They spent the next 20 years living a lie. They told their father, Jacob, a wild animal killed Joseph. The truth was they sold him to some Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:28). The truth had never been told, and Jacob still mourned for his beloved son.

Now more than 20 years later, they saw and heard Joseph, the boy they had been seeing and hearing in their memories every time they looked into their grieving father’s eyes. They did not recognize him yet as Joseph their brother.

They lived in an emotional prison; now Joseph also put them in a physical one. After three days, he released all but Simeon and sent the remaining nine to go home and bring the young brother they had spoken of back to Joseph. (Benjamin is described as a little child and a lad in Genesis 44:20-22. Genesis 42 is probably the first time Joseph knew he had a younger brother.)

They returned to Canaan and told their father what happened in Egypt. After hearing their story, Jacob made a statement revealing he had known all along these older brothers were behind Joseph’s disappearance, “You have bereaved me of my children; Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take

Benjamin ...” (Genesis 42:36).

Think about your life and the lives of those you influence. Are you in a spiritual prison? Have you put others into spiritual and emotional prisons? Are you in a prison of unforgiveness and bitterness? Does your anger, selfishness, or jealousy put those around you into prisons of fear and insecurity? Are lies keeping all of you in prisons of mistrust and deception?

The best present you could give this Christmas is freedom from the prisons created by past sins. Ask God for forgiveness, ask others to forgive you, and forgive others like Jesus forgives you.

Pray Genesis 42:19 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, ___________ and I are confined in our prisons.

Help us go and carry grain for the spiritual famine that has been in our households.


In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 41 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 41.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/41/1/s_41001

Meditate on verses 16b, 25b, 32b, and 39.

It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.

God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

The matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it to about.

So Pharoah said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this,

 there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream …

—Genesis 41:1

Joseph, forgotten by Pharaoh’s cupbearer, remained in prison for two more full years. He was enslaved and in jail for a total of 13 years (Genesis 37:2; 41:46).

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, falsely accused by others, and forgotten by those who should have remembered. Yet Joseph never forgot God, and God remembered Joseph. God vindicated him when the time was perfect.

The cupbearer finally remembered to tell Pharaoh about Joseph. He was hurriedly brought out of the dungeon to meet the most powerful man in the world. Imagine Joseph being able to shave himself and change his clothes after being in a dungeon! Joseph answered Pharaoh with clarity of mind that God would give the answer to Pharaoh’s puzzling dreams. He did not self-promote (Genesis 41:9-16)!

Throughout the chapter, Joseph continued to give God glory, which caused Pharaoh to give God glory, which pleased God. God then caused Pharaoh to put Joseph in charge of the entire land of Egypt (Genesis 41:39-43). After waiting on God for 13 years, in one day Joseph went from a dungeon to being in control of the most powerful country in the world!

Be encouraged by the Word of God. Glorify God no matter what is happening to you.

Do not let bitterness or depression control you; it will blind you to God’s work in your life. God determines the matters of your life, and He will quickly bring them about (Genesis 41:32). Be ready!

Pray Genesis 41:32 and 39 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please determine this matter for _________ and me.

Quickly bring it about. Inform us, God.

 Make us wise and discerning.


For the glory of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 40 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 40.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/40/1/s_40001

Meditate on verse 23.

Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph,

but forgot him.

Notice the time phrases in Genesis 40. “Then it came about after these things ...” (v.1). “When Joseph came to them in the morning ...” (v. 6). “Thus it came about on the third day ...” (v. 20).

“Timing is everything” is certainly true in Genesis 40. The cupbearer and baker had to offend Pharaoh after Joseph was put in jail, so Joseph could be in jail with them the morning after they had disturbing dreams, so he could interpret their dreams, so three days later they could—forget about Joseph!

Does God’s timing ever make you want to scream? The cupbearer forgot Joseph! How was that even possible? It happened because it was not time for the cupbearer to remember Joseph. God had much bigger plans for Joseph’s life than just whisking him out of prison and back home to daddy. In God’s timing, Joseph will ...

Well, you will get to read another time phrase tomorrow. Until then, ponder this:

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

 —Luke 2:6

Approximately 730,000 days were completed from the time of God’s first promise to Abraham of Messiah (Genesis 12:3) until Jesus was born. The Old Testament faithful believed God would keep His promise of Messiah (Hebrews 11). God kept His promise; Jesus was born when God’s fullness of time came (Galatians 4:4).

Do you feel forgotten? Have you felt forgotten for quite some time now? Be encouraged by God’s planning and God’s timing. Joseph had to be in prison at the perfect time for a certain number of days for God’s plan to work. Jesus had to come to earth in the full, completed timing of God for God’s plan to work.

As a faithful, prayerful watchman use Genesis 40:23 to pray over those who feel forgotten.

“LORD, _________ feels forgotten.
They think no one remembers them.


Let them know that You and I remember them.

In Your name, Jesus~”

Call that person today and tell them you are praying for them.  If possible, spend time with them this Christmas.

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 39 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 39.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/39/1/s_39001

Meditate on verse 23b.

The LORD was with him,

 and whatever he did the LORD made to prosper.

The LORD was with Joseph is repeated four times in Genesis 39.  In the midst of being sold into slavery, God was with Joseph.  When Joseph had favor with his bosses, God was with him.  As Joseph faced false accusations, God was with him.  When Joseph was confined to jail, God was with him.

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son,

and they shall call His name “Immanuel,”

which translated means, “God with us.”

—Matthew 1:23

Jesus came to earth because He is “God with us.” As a Christian, you have the Spirit of Jesus filling you. When Jesus came into your life, He came with a promise: “I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b).

Joseph knew Immanuel. Throughout his life, the LORD proved to Joseph that He was with him, and He was not going to leave him. The LORD was with him in prosperous times, and the LORD was with him when it appeared Joseph had favor with no one.

Jesus is your Immanuel. He is with you when times are good and when times are really bad. Your Savior is always with you; get to know Him even better this Christmas.

Pray Genesis 39:2-5 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, be with _________ and me.


As You are with us, make us successful where You have put us.

 Cause everything we do to prosper.


Give us favor in the sight of our bosses;


bless them and their homes as well.


In Your name, Immanuel~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell