Guilt only grows heavier the longer we hide it.

The sons of Jacob have lived for over 20 years carrying the secret guilt of selling away their brother into slavery in Egypt and letting Jacob believe his beloved son Joseph was dead. Then a terrible famine threatens the lives of Jacob and his household in the land of Canaan, and news comes to Jacob that Egypt is selling grain. When Jacob sends his sons to Egypt, will they find salvation from the famine, or the uncovering of the guilt they buried long ago?

This week we read through Genesis 42 and see what happens when Jacob's sons come before Joseph in Egypt and don't recognize their brother. We'll see how Joseph reacts to the fulfillment of his dreams from decades earlier and how his brothers react when faced with their past sins. And as we examine the steps God takes to confront the secret guilt of Jacob's sons, we'll examine our own lives for the traces of buried guilt and learn the steps God will lead us in to deliver us today.

The night may be silent, but God hasn't stopped moving!

Joseph has been forgotten in an Egyptian prison for two years, betrayed by family and wrongfully accused and imprisoned, but not abandoned by God. While Joseph remains faithful to serve God even in prison, unknown to him, God has begun moving in the dreams of Pharoah himself, putting into motion the events that will exalt Joseph from prisoner to prominence.

This week we read through Genesis 41 and see Joseph interpreting the nightmares of Pharoah. We'll look at how God was not only working on behalf of Joseph, but also working on the heart of Pharoah. We'll study how the events of Joseph's life foreshadow the events of Jesus Christ, and remind ourselves that God is still working in the waiting places of our own lives.

God has not forgotten you!

What's worse than being sold by your brothers into slavery? Being a slave who is imprisoned for a crime you didn't commit. Yet that's where Joseph finds himself, abandoned by brothers and by masters, but not by God. When two high ranking officials in Pharoah's court are imprisoned with Joseph, will Joseph finally have a way to plead his case before Pharoah?

This week we read through Genesis 40 and read of Joseph interpreting the dreams of his fellow prisoners. We'll see the effect of God's continued presence in Joseph's life and how Joseph reacts to disappointment and delay as he waits for God to fulfill the promises He made in Joseph's youth. And we'll glimpse God's perspective when we find ourselves dealing with disappointment and delay in our own lives.