Even when circumstances seem impossible by the world’s measures, God can move and make incredible things happen.

Transcript:

It depends on who you ask. Our study of the natural world deals very much in possibilities and impossibilities. What this or that thing can or cannot do. We learn our limits as human beings and often seek medicines and technologies to exceed those limits. But when we cannot exceed those limits. We say a thing is impossible, is impossible by the laws of nature.

But as Christians, we know that while we do live within the limits of the laws of nature, the author of creation is able to strum those laws to his pleasure and even surpass our natural limitations to accomplish his purpose. George Mueller trusted in God's power. He was confident in God's provision despite all circumstances.

George lived in England during the 1800s doing the work of a pastor, evangelist, and administrating a sprawling orphanage ministry over the course of his life. The thing that was curious about him was that he would not ask for donations to support his work. Instead, he trusted the Lord would provide what was needed.

That trust of his was put to the test on a notable occasion at his orphanage, and the story is told as follows. The children are dressed and ready for school, but there's no food for them to eat, the house mother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables.

He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes a baker knocked on the door. Mr. Mueller, he said, last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in.

Soon there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the three hundred thirsty children.

God provides in seemingly impossible circumstances. He makes a way where there seems to be no way forward. And we see this in action in Joseph's life. We have pointed out the paradox of Joseph's life up to this point. He was favored by his father, but betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery. He was favored by his master.

But falsely accused by his master's wife, and so tossed into prison. He seems cursed, and yet he is blessed in the midst of hardship. Behind bars, seemingly as low as one could get, short of death, what hope could he have? What could God possibly do for him beyond being merely a privileged prisoner? We pick up his story in Genesis 40.

Genesis 40 beginning in verse 1. It says, Sometime later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison, had a dream the same night. And each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.

So, we open up this chapter by learning that Joseph's going to get some company. There's a couple of officials of the Pharaoh who have earned his displeasure and so they're being cast into prison. Now what's interesting here is how it says that the captain of the guard assigns these two to Joseph. Now you remember the captain of the guard is Potiphar.

Potiphar, the man who had previously really favored Joseph until Potiphar's wife made false accusations against him. You'd almost imagine that after all that, that Potiphar wouldn't entrust anything to Joseph, but that's not what we see here. In fact, we see that Potiphar still recognizes something in Joseph and is showing him favor by allowing him to oversee these two newcomers.

Now these positions to, you know, us who are living in the 21st century may not seem important on the surface. What does it mean to be a cup bearer? So he's just the guy that carries a cup around or something? Or even a, a baker. You know, I mean, bakers are important. I mean, I enjoy bread. But, they are the chief, he's the chief baker, so it's like, okay, maybe he's in charge of the kitchen.

But why are these positions so vitally important? The reason is simple. If you wanted to poison Pharaoh, you'd have to pass through those guys. So the cup bearer, holding, presenting the cup to Pharaoh, he's the one who would ensure that no poison had entered that cup, to test the cup, even, to make sure. So, if anything goes sideways, he's the first to fall, and Pharaoh knows that, okay, I'm not drinking from that cup.

And the same thing with the baker. So, these are important positions among Pharaoh's officials. What's interesting is that as these men come into prison, they both experience dreams and Joseph noticed that they seem dejected, and so he inquires with them as to why they're looking so low. Picking up in verse seven, it says, so he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him and his master's house.

Why do you look so sad today? We both had dreams, they answered, but there is no one to interpret them. Then Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams. So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches.

As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and put the cup in his hand. So, the reason why they're so dejected here, we learned, is that there is no one to interpret their dreams. Which is kind of an interesting to think about, thing to think about, because we don't, usually in the West, put so much stock into dreams.

But in Eastern cultures, they do tend to put a lot of stock into dreams. And you'll still find that today. Now, at this time, there was actually professionals in the work of interpreting dreams to whom you would go to ask, okay, what does my dream mean? And they even put together books to offer guidance in the interpretation of dreams.

Now, Joseph is not a professionally trained interpreter of dreams, and he has no access to such a book. His source of authority for interpreting the meanings of their dreams is different. His source of authority is God. He says, do not interpretations belong to God. And it's on that basis that he invites them to tell him about their dreams.

So, picking in verse 12, he offers an interpretation. He says, this is what it means. Speaking to the cup bearer. The three branches are three days. Within three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cup bearer.

But when all goes well with you, remember me, and show me kindness. Mention me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here, I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon. So the interpretation that Joseph gives him is that, is one of good news.

Promising that the cupbearer is going to be released from prison. That he's going to be restored to his position. That he's not going to be put to death. Now what he asks of this cupbearer in return is that, simply that he would remember him. That he would mention him to Pharaoh because of the situation that he's in.

He's suffered injustice at the hands of his brothers. That's how he ended up in Egypt in the first place. And he suffered injustice by being imprisoned under a false accusation. And so it's here at this point, we haven't really seen too much of this, up to this point. It's at this point that we see Joseph really expressing his frustration with his circumstances.

He suffered a lot. He suffered a lot of injustice in his life, and yet, he's continuing to trust God. So, we know that both things are possible. It's possible to express your frustration and disappointment when you do suffer injustice, even while you're trusting in God. You don't have to be apathetic about the wrongs that you're, you're dealing with.

Continuing on in verse 16, he turns to offer help to the baker. Baker says, hey, I want my dream interpreted as well. Says, when the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, I too had a dream. On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket in my head.

This is what it means, Joseph said. The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head, and impale your body on a pole, and the...