Genesis in Biblical Perspective:
The Gospel of Christ from Genesis –
The Life of Joseph #5—Prepared and Promoted by God

Genesis 41

By Dr. Harry Reeder III

In this study on the life of Joseph we'll cover Genesis 41:1–43. We will start by reading the first thirteen verses. This is the Word of God. It's the truth. Genesis 41:1– 13 says

[1] After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, [2] and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. [3] And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. [4] And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. [5] And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. [6] And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. [7] And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. [8] So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. [9] Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "I remember my offenses today. [10] When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, [11] we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. [12] A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. [13] And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged."

The grass withers, the flower fades, this is the Word of our God, it abides forever and by His grace and mercy may His Word be preached for you.

Impact and influence – I don't know a single one of us to some degree that would not desire to make a difference. We have five grandchildren and I'm asking God to let me make a difference in their life. We have three children and I pastor a wonderful church. I live in a wonderful neighborhood. God, would You do something in me, position me and enable me to make a difference. How do you influence, impact and make a difference? Do you have an office where you work that you want to make a difference at? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of those who are around you? Do you want to make a difference in the people that employ you? Do you want to make a difference in the people that answer to you? Do you provide services in your job as a lawyer, doctor or sales person? Do you want to make a living or do you want to make a difference? Do you want to make money or do you want to make a difference? How about your children and grandchildren? How do you get to the place to make a difference?

Joseph gives us a marvelous insight. Joseph does not lay out all the strategies that we may employ. For instance you may want to make a good influence in your neighborhood and a good strategy would be to go home and have a hot dog supper for your neighbors. I'm talking about strategies here. Strategies are only so good as the substance of the people who enact them. I want to talk about the substance of life- changers, the substance in the lives of people that make a difference. How do you get there?

There are two paths and there are a lot of ways that one of these paths is marked but basically you have two paths. One is you can either believe the message of humanism that says it's in you for you have the stuff. All you have to do is believe in you, bring it to the table and you have the power to make a difference. Be prepared. Prepare yourself and then position yourself. There is another way. Let God prepare you and position you. God is the One to whom you surrender. God is the One whom you exalt. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. He will exalt you at the right time. Joseph is a wonderful opportunity for us to take a look at that.

We are in the fifth study of Joseph from Genesis 37 all the way to Genesis 41 and we have found out that Joseph began as a favored son. He was such a favored son for he was favored wherever he went and there was much that God used him for that his father favored him for but his father moved favor to idolatry of his son which produced a family that was at odds with each other. It produced sons, his brothers, who sold him into slavery for twenty pieces of silver like Jesus and then ends up in a place called the captain of the guard who was a key guy under the authority of Pharaoh, King of Egypt and he is a slave in Potiphar's house. The next thing you find through the way he conducts himself Joseph is the head slave. He is over everyone else and the house and Potiphar absolutely trusts him. Potiphar's wife came after him and he said to her "I won't sin against you, my master, marriage, my conscience and I won't sin against God" but she grabbed his coat, made up a story and a weak man named Potiphar believed the story instead of the evidence and sent Joseph off to prison.

Instead of having a pity party, Joseph begins to minister to a cup bearer and a baker. He functions in such a way that the prison keeper makes him the trustee of the prison where all the other prisoners report to Joseph. The prison keeper now has two royal prisoners – cup bearer and baker – who probably were guilty of conspiring to poison the king and this is life and death for a prison keeper but he puts them under the trust of Joseph. They have a couple of dreams, he ministers to them and tells them what their dreams mean. Because the interpretation was from the Lord the dream came to fruition and the baker was hanged and the cup bearer was restored to his position. Joseph had said he was willing to serve the Lord anywhere but if I could get out of this prison would you mind telling Pharaoh this is unjust and the cup bearer tells him he would remember him. Of course he immediately forgets him and here he is forsaken again, by his brothers, by Potiphar and now by the cup bearer but Joseph continues right on and we pick him up two years later.

The first section I read, Genesis 41:1–13, has two dreams and this is the third time there are two dreams. Joseph had had two dreams and then after that the cup bearer and baker each had a dream. So now we are in a third time with two dreams because Pharaoh now has two dreams. They began to trouble him so he asked for an interpretation and the wise men of the day in Egypt had no interpretation for him. Now he is very troubled and when a king gets troubled, particularly a king that has all the power available to him, then everyone else gets troubled around him. You may be the cat that he decides to kick. The cup bearer finally remembers his offenses that happened two years ago where he promised this guy he would tell Pharaoh. Isn't that convenient that he would remember just in time to save his skin one more time? He goes and tells Pharaoh about Joseph.

You will see in the next study that by this time Joseph is 30 years old yet he is still referred to as a youth. He went into slavery at 17 and was in slavery and then prison for 11 years, interpreted the dreams but the cup bearer forgot him and now he has been in two more years so he has now been in servanthood for 13 years. Now he is 30 years old. Pharaoh sends for Joseph and Joseph has a command appearance before the king. The text says they released him quickly. It took 13 years to get him out of there. It may have been quick for some but not for Joseph.

Why do people take the time to appear with modesty, cleanliness and neatness when they come to worship? We are doing the same thing in worship but just to a greater King. Joseph is coming before a king so cleans himself up and puts on his best. Coming to worship has nothing to do with the price tag it just means you're coming to honor the King and that's what Joseph did. He comes before the king, honors and respects the king and then the king brings him into his presence and Joseph becomes aware of the dreams that have been given to the king. I want you to see what these dreams are and how they are interpreted. Let's look at how they are interpreted. Genesis 41:14–32 says

[14] Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. [15] And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." [16] Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." [17] Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. [18] Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. [19] Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. [20] And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, [21] but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. [22] I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. [23] Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, [24] and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me." [25] Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. [26] The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. [27] The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. [28] It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. [29] There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, [30] but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, [31] and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. [32] And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about."

There is the interpretation for us. Pharaoh has two dreams, Joseph is brought out of prison and makes his appearance. Pharaoh says to Joseph that he hears he can interpret dreams. Joseph says "You have it wrong king, it's God who interprets dreams not me. I'm just an instrument." He tells Pharaoh there are two dreams but there is only one interpretation. The reason God gave him the dreams twice was to tell him it was important, it will happen immediately and he needs to be prepared for it but the dreams have the same message. There will be seven years of famine that will follow seven years of plenty and the famine will be so severe that everything in the years of plenty will be destroyed and you need to prepare for it.

So Joseph gives Pharaoh that interpretation but he doesn't stop there for Joseph is a change agent. Joseph immediately volunteers a plan and gives Pharaoh a proposal. Let's look at the next part. Genesis 41:33–36 says

[33] Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. [34] Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. [35] And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. [36] That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.

There is a wonderful insight through the plan of Joseph as to the role of government but that is for another sermon. Boy, do we need a primer today to get back to these basic principles. Government is not here for special interest. It is here for the general welfare of the people. Secondly, there is a national emergency and the tax structure is such that it is not oppressive so if they need a temporary tax to prepare for that moment they are able to do it and they put a 20 percent tax in place. That is proportionate. It is not a redistribution of wealth, it's every one giving their 20 percent of whatever it is and whatever they have. Now we have a government instead of spending itself into the bondage of debtedness, it is actually saving something for the people. We have a statesman here and not a politician. A statesman looks at the next generation and a politician looks to the next election. So here is the proposal and here he is working on it and he presents it to Pharaoh. They are now engaged in a mercy ministry for the general welfare of the entire nation with this temporary tax of 20 percent.

I wondered if that tax really was temporary because I've never seen one yet that has been temporary. Hopefully it actually worked out this way for that's the way it was present by Joseph. Now what is Pharaoh's response to Joseph's proposal – promotion. Genesis 41:37–38 says [37] This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. [38] And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?" what an amazing statement from a pagan king. Do I think he understands the doctrine of the Trinity? Absolutely not but God can take the ignorance of a pagan in his observation of a believer and give us even theological accuracy and here is it. Genesis 41:39–44 says

[39] Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. [40] You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you." [41] And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." [42] Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. [43] And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, "Bow the knee!" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. [44] Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."

What an amazing statement from a pagan king. Joseph walks in the door a prisoner and walks out the door a prime minister. This is absolutely amazing. In the record of the narrative there is not one evidence of self-promotion. Pharaoh looks at Joseph and evaluates of him that he is discerning, wise and he is a leader and then Pharaoh even gives us more insight. You live by God's Word. You live with God's Spirit in you and God's favor is upon you. He has God's favor, God's Word and God's Spirit and that makes him wise and discerning. Is there anybody like this in Egypt? There is nobody. A pagan king hires a believer and puts him over everybody. It's an amazing thing that happens with this promotion.

Pharaoh is so impressed with Joseph that he gives him his signet ring, not one just like but his ring. Then he put the gold chain of authority around him. Whatever Joseph had just put on to make an appearance before the king was now replaced with fine linen royalty. Then Pharaoh gives Joseph the second chariot. Joseph has his prime minister ring, prime minister suit, prime minister chain and he has air force number two ready to go. Then Pharaoh has a parade. This man who came in showing respect to the pagan king now says that everyone will show Joseph respect. "Bow the knee!" You might think this would be a wonderful film for a Hollywood film maker who might turn this into a book with the statement if you just stay with it you have the power to change everything around you.

What they would miss is what Joseph has kept telling us and what the text has kept telling us. It is that Joseph has been prepared by God and now through Pharaoh promoted by God. He has been prepared by God with disloyal brothers, with a fickle Potiphar boss, by the temptations of a seductress, by a prison keeper who has made use of his leadership, by a cup bearer that had forsaken him and every step of the way was not failure or the lack of the presence of God but the evidence of the presence of God to prepare the man for the promotion He is about to give him for which it will set up 430 years to bring a nation down to prepare them and put them through 430 years of what Joseph has gone through in 13 years, to take them back when they're ready for the land.

Do not ask me to dismiss the sovereignty of God in my theology. This is clearly the hand of God writing through this entire process. Let me show you how the Psalmist even refers to that. The Psalmist was fully aware when they looked back at this account of what was happening with this famine in Israel which during the same time there was a famine in Egypt. Psalm 105:15–23 says

[16] When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, [17] he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. [18] His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; [19] until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. [20] The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; [21] he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, [22] to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom. [23] Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. [24] And the LORD made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes. [25] He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.

It was God's plan to get a man in Egypt to get things ready for His people. God's plan is to work on His man and He is working on His man. He is preparing him that he might humble himself under the mighty hand of God and then God would exalt him at the right time. We're not talking about strategies here. Here is a man who walks from a slave pit into Potiphar's house and everything changes. With trumped up charges he walks into a prison and everything changes. Now he is going to a palace and everything is going to change. I'm amazed at the people here in this congregation and your strategies to influence in which I learn so much from but will you with me revel in how God makes an influencer. What does God do in the life of someone? You can have the greatest strategy in the world but if the person showing up is not a change agent then nothing is going to change.

What is it that happens in their life? I want to give you at least one thing. Man proposes but God disposes (Thomas a Kempis quote). Now let me use the word of the Proverbs. [9] The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps (Proverbs 16:9). I have just shared with you my absolute confidence in the sovereignty of God but my confidence in the sovereignty of God does not call me to passivity or laziness or carelessness. It calls me to intentionality. It calls me to make a plan.

Joseph has delivered a message. God is going to bring seven years of plenty/blessing and God is going to bring seven years of famine. Not only is this a done deal but it is coming quickly. What does Joseph do? He knows God is going to get them out of this but he also knows that a sovereign God uses His people. God works in order. We are made in God's image, therefore rightly a man plans his way. The question is, how do we plan? Do we plan our way in place of God's Word or do we plan with the precepts of God's Word? That's what the believer does. The believer takes God's revealed Word and then creates plans in accordance with the precepts of God's Word.

Where is God's Word in this? It's in dreams. At this point Genesis hasn't been written yet. There is still another 400 years before Genesis is written. So there is a long way from now until the Bible has started being written. Hebrews 1 says that God in those days would communicate with dreams and visions. That's why Joseph said to Pharaoh that God has revealed. God has spoken through this dream. What about dreams today? They happen at night when you're asleep. Can God still use dreams today? Yes, He uses them for illumination, inspiration, to get our attention, to impress us but not revelation. We have that already now. God has finally spoken in His Son who has given us His Word. It is inerrant, infallible and sufficient.

Do I look to dreams for revelation to direct my life, to give me the precepts of life? No, you go to God's Word for that. Study the Word of God for it is able to equip you for every good work. Let me put it this way. You will not show up here one Sunday and I stand up here and say "Don't worry about your Bibles for I had a dream." That will not happen. If I do that, that is a nightmare for you. We have God's Word and it is true. When I know the truth of God's Word I create a plan out of the truth of God's Word. God's Word tells me what a man of God is supposed to be. I want to make a plan to grow as a man of God. God's Word tells me what a Christian husband is supposed to be. God's Word tells me as a Christian husband that I will falter and so a good plan is to get some people around for God's Word says "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." I am going to make my plan and get my accountability group around me. God's Word tells me how to be a Christian father and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

I want to be a pastor who is growing and serving You among God's people. I want to be Your instrument in their hands. I have already told you in the Bible what a pastor is supposed to be, do, grow and what is supposed to happen in his life so put the plan in place. A man plans his way and God directs his steps. Will my plan always be faithful to God's Word? No, then God will correct me. Now I need to humble myself and take His correction. Even if I have a great plan, will I falter? Yes, I am a sinner saved by grace and so are you. What do I do then?

I used this illustration before. You kick in, not Mapquest but GPS. You say you'll go this direction so you get a plan. Mapquest gives me the plan but I make a wrong turn and then I make another turn and another turn. How do I get back on track? I have to retrace all of my steps and then I'm back here so now I can go. Praise the Lord for GPS. You recalibrate. Now let Me move you back on track. Did you make a wrong decision about divorce, unbiblical? God says here is what we're going to do. If you repent and confess your sins here is how we'll recalibrate to put you back on track, with restitution and reconciliation.

Did you make a bad decision on the lack of integrity in the job? Here is how we do it. We will recalibrate and put you back on track. With forgiveness, repentance, restitution, reconciliation I'll put you right back on track because I'm your Father and I love you. I have not only given you the information for the plan but when you falter in the plan I'll put you right back on track. You come to Me confessing and trusting. Then God says He'll answer your plan. As you conform your plan to My revealed will then I want you to be content with the unfolding of Me secret will as I bring you into life and work in your life. Be confident and committed to God's Word as we plan and confident and contented in God's will as God brings our plans to fruition in His glorious plan for His glory and our good.

I want to keep saying this. There is a terrible teaching on faith today where faith is my act that enables God to do things for me in my life. No, faith is God's gift for you to receive His blessing, His life and bring all your needs and concerns to Him and then faith says "Your will be done, not my will be done for I trust You."

I want to give you a second distillation from this text. With my life, how do I influence and attract particularly unbelievers? Joseph did this with Potiphar, the prison keeper and now the Pharaoh. Everywhere God sends Joseph people get drawn to him and God uses them to keep promoting him. Wherever Joseph goes he is a change agent, not a victim. Wherever he goes he is trustworthy even as slave his master can trust his wife to Joseph. He won't sin against him. He is trustworthy in the gift God has given him to interpret these dreams.

He is a professional. You might think 'I thought he was a slave.' He was a professional slave. The root of the word professional in our language comes from the concept that when you do your work you do your work heartily as unto the Lord. The way we work, whether it is in prison, Potiphar's house or in the palace, it is a profession of our faith. It tells people what we believe about our God. Wherever Joseph went he constantly made an impact because he did it unto the Lord. He was faithful in little and now he is about to be over the whole nation, but he had already been faithful at Potiphar's house and in a prison. Now, he will be faithful to a nation.

He is a man of courage but compassion. How do you get the courage when you're a prisoner to tell a Pharaoh he is wrong? With Potiphar's wife he said he would not do this. Here is a man who has courage to follow the Lord but at the same time compassion as he cares for his friends, ministers to cup bearers and when he hears God is bringing a famine on a pagan nation he says "how can we show the mercy of God to the people of Egypt?" He brings mercy outside of the household of faith. What an amazing man!

In the midst of this, the foundation is that Joseph, thousands of years before Peter, Paul and James wrote it, 'have this mind in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped but humbled Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, being found in appearance as a man he humbled Himself unto the obedience of death, even death on a cross, then God exalted Him.' Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you. Paul calls us to follow Christ with that pattern of life. James calls us to do it. Peter calls us to do it. The Scriptures call us to do it. Don't prepare yourself but surrender to God as you make the plans to prepare in the power of the Spirit and the precepts of God's Word. Don't promote yourself. Die to yourself. With selflessness we serve the Lord and with selflessness we let the Lord put us where He wants to put us at the time He wants to put us in the midst of the place He wants to put us.

Then the moment comes. Joseph just went to the victory stand. I want to use a little Olympic illustration here. Joseph just got promoted to Prime Minister. Those going into the race hear "This is your moment!" No, those athletes' moments were at 5am when they went to practice. Second place was still in the bed under an umbrella. Here is what I'm trying to tell you. Joseph's moment isn't at the promotion in the palace. Joseph did not change vocation, he just changed location. He will do in the palace what he did in the prison. He did in the prison what he did in Potiphar's house. He was faithful in little and then the Lord kept entrusting him with more. He didn't become something different. The difference God was making in him showed up as he went there. On the way he humbled himself and that's the direction that he went. He humbled himself under the mighty hand of God.

He was a prisoner. He finally got an audience with Pharaoh. Pharaoh hears that he interprets dreams. If I were Joseph I probably would have said "Pharaoh you just give your dreams to me and I'll interpret them." Joseph said "Pharaoh you're wrong for it's not me, it's God." No wonder a pagan king will see not a self-promoting, self-righteous, arrogant "believer" but he sees a man of God who is humble. Where are we going to find a man like this with the Spirit of God in him? He was selfless and God full. That is the man who is sought out because of what God is doing in his life.

Here is one last thought. I don't want this to be about Joseph. This has to be about Jesus as you look at a pagan king who sees the picture of a man humbling himself and then a king exalts him and I just want you to flee to Jesus. Humble yourself under the mighty hand, not just a Pharaoh, your boss, your parents, your teachers, but under the mighty hand of God. He'll uses bosses, teachers and everyone else to do His purposes. Sometimes you might say 'I'm in prison' but God is still doing His purposes. He will exalt you at the right time. He exalted Joseph in Potiphar's house, the prison and the palace. All the while Joseph is humbling himself.

What a beautiful picture of what Christ does. Don't you see this as the Holy Spirit putting this before us so that we can fix our eyes, not on Joseph, but on Jesus? He is the One that is with Joseph by the Spirit of God with in him. Fix your eyes on Jesus who humbled Himself and God exalted Him and then He says "Not only do you come to Me and I'll exalt you at the right time but I want you now to humble yourself" for you are to make much of God and not much of yourself and God will put you in the location where you can serve that vocation of enjoying God and glorifying Him. That's what God does with His people. How glorious it is to see Christ at work in Joseph and then through Joseph anticipate a Christ who will humble Himself, be exalted, and then bring His people to glory in the parade of redemption.

One final thought and then I'll close in prayer. God revealed in His Word to Pharaoh and someone explained it to him that there is a danger and a judgment of famine that is coming. Now here is the plan to meet it and Pharaoh responded to that physical situation. God's Word has also revealed something else. There is the day where every man will appear before the Lord and there is a judgment of eternal condemnation but you don't have to think of a plan for God's made the plan. The plan is Jesus. The Word that told Pharaoh that the famine is coming and it came is the same Word that tells you it is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment and the same Word gives deliverance. It tells you come, flee the wrath to come, by fleeing to Jesus Christ. The Spirit says come. The Bride says come. Christ says come. Let's pray.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the privilege to be in Your Word. Friend if you want to make that commitment to Jesus just flee to Him and say 'Oh Lord, I know I'm a sinner and I come to you and trust in Jesus Christ who delivers from the wrath to come. Thank You for the greatest gift of all, not only deliverance but Jesus Himself who will be with me.' Father, for us as Your people who already have committed to Christ, allow us not to move with the wisdom of the world promoting ourselves but dying to ourselves, give us the heart of the John the Baptist who said 'He must increase and I must decrease.' Then Lord, put us where You want us to make a difference for sinners to come to Christ, for Your people to be loved and encouraged and for Christ to be exalted throughout the world for I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.