When did you last pray that someone might be godly? Prayer requests typically concern work, health, relationships and finance. There’s nothing wrong with that, as we are encouraged to pray at all times with all kinds of requests.

The apostle Paul is thrilled that the good news of Jesus is making such an impact across the Roman world. In a new area Paul would typically visit the synagogue, but there were so few Jews in Philippi he knew this was unlikely, so sought a ‘place of prayer’ near the Gangites River.

The narrative of Acts 16:12–40 gives us the background to this epistle. The church in Philippi is planted in part because Paul is thrown into prison! The jailer and his household come to faith and join with Lydia and her household and others who would come to faith.

Today we conclude our time with Joseph. Over the course of the story, we have had the privilege of seeing the whole story, and therefore seeing how God is able to turn every situation from harm into one that will prosper us.

One of the brothers’ first thoughts after Jacob had died was that Joseph would punish them for harming him as a teenager. They still carried the guilt and shame that manifested itself when the brothers struggled to be blessed. While this guilt and shame did not surface in the good years in Egypt, it still lurked in them, ready to quickly bring low the brothers.

Jacob is able to accurately prophesy what will happen in the future of the descendants of each of His sons because the Lord gives him the insight, as He is all-knowing. God knows how many stars are in the sky and what each one is called. He knows exactly how many grains of sand there are on the shore.

As Jacob prophesies over his sons, we see judgment. Sin has consequences even when it is forgiven, and the sons of Israel bore those consequences. Reuben saw judgment because of sin. Yet at the same time we see grace and forgiveness. Judah’s behaviour was not exemplary, and yet Christ came from the tribe of Judah, the very greatest blessing.

All of Jacob’s sons give their names to tribes, except Joseph, because his sons become a tribe each. In this way Joseph is doubly blessed, and once again we see Jacob’s favour towards his son Joseph. Joseph’s inheritance was also more than the other brothers. He was deeded some land in Canaan that Joseph’s descendants would take possession of some 400 years later.

Joseph has the joy of having his family back with him in Egypt, but God called him to Egypt for a purpose and he has a job to do. In today’s reading we see him execute that job with fairness, as the people are glad he has saved their lives and seem happy with the terms he sets. He was called to a foreign land for a purpose.

Joseph went to meet his dad, and then Jacob knew he could die in peace for he had seen with his own eyes not only Joseph himself, but also Joseph’s authority and standing in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.