hearing God's voice

Joseph learned you shouldn't draw conclusions about God's will for your life until the last chapter is written. He endured years of suffering at the hands of his brothers, his Egyptian masters, and his jailers until finally he was made a powerful leader in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. He was influential in saving the lives of thousands of people. Only then could he fully see God's divine plan and realise he had been in the centre of God's will all the time.

- Henry and Richard Blackaby, Hearing God's Voice

And suddenly you begin to see that this [Genesis 39] is not merely a morality play, again it's part of a deeply Christological reading of the whole Bible. It's bringing you to Jesus, how God in His own purposes, through the foibles and weaknesses and through the strengths and faithfulness of individual believers across redemptive history, has - in the fullness of time - brought forth His Son, the Redeemer, through Whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

And there is no text in Genesis 39 that says, "Now listen, pay attention folks, this is heading to the great Christological centre." It's not saying that. It's the narrative that conveys it, the narrative of Genesis 39 in the context of the book of Genesis, Genesis in the context of the Pentateuch, the Pentateuch in the context of the whole Bible, do you see?

- D. A. Carson, The Living Word 2008

the 'author and perfecter of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2, NIV) is also the author and perfecter of the faith of our forefathers, as well as future generations. in fact, 'these were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect' (Hebrews 11:39-40, NIV).

above all, God's will for our lives is to fulfill His covenant to rehab, renew and restart creation to reflect His glory. to quote caleb quoting mark dever, "If I know that God’s plan in the Bible is to glorify Himself through the gospel of Jesus Christ, what is my role in this process?" Another way of asking this question is probably, "What is my personal involvement in the master plan of history, and God’s blueprint for His eternal kingdom - where do I find my spot, and place to contribute?"